C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000280
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/NB - VICTORIA MIDDLETON, KEITH ANDERTON AND JAMES LOVELL
E.O. 12958:
DECL: 04/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, RS, EN
SUBJECT: REACTIONS TO REMOVAL OF ESTONIA,S BRONZE SOLDIER
REF: A) GOLDSTEIN-MIDDLETON/PEKALA EMAILS 27APR2007
B) TALLINN 276 C) TALLINN 279
Classified By: CDA Jeff Goldstein for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1. (SBU)
Summary: On the evening of April 26, a mostly young, mostly
Russian crowd of 1,000-1,500 demonstrating against the removal
of the Bronze Soldier monument refused police orders to
disperse. The police then dispersed the crowd by force. As the
demonstrators scattered they broke shop windows, looted liquor
stores and kiosks and overturned cars. Some 44 demonstrators
and 12 police were injured. One demonstrator was killed,
allegedly at the hands of a fellow demonstrator. In response,
the government removed the statue during the night and plans
to relocate it to a military cemetery. There is a significant
prospect of further unrest, with Estonian nationalist groups
possibly joining the mix. There is widespread concern over the
impact yesterday,s events will have on the future of
integration efforts of ethnic Russians in Estonia and
Estonia,s reputation abroad. End Summary.

Situation Update
----------------

2. (SBU)
Shortly after 9:30PM April 26, police ordered a crowd of
1,000-1,500 individuals to disperse. (Note: The evening TV
news had just signed off at 9:30. End note.) When the crowd
refused, the police began to use riot control equipment
including tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades.
Extensive looting and vandalism ensued. The Ministry of
Defense (MOD) estimates that approximately 600 of the
demonstrators participating in the rioting. Press reports
indicate one fatality, 44 demonstrators and 12 police injured
badly enough to require treatment, and roughly 300 people
arrested, and released shortly thereafter. (Note: The fatality
was reportedly due to one demonstrator stabbed by another. The
majority of injuries were reportedly the result of broken
glass. RSO has not received any reports of police misconduct.
End Note.) The press is reporting that young Estonians plan to
gather tonight to stage a counter demonstration. In an effort
to discourage further violence, PM Ansip warned parents and
young people alike that a five year prison sentence was no way
to begin one,s youth.

Response from the Government
----------------------------

3. (C)
At 3:40AM in the morning, an emergency government committee
met and ordered the Bronze Soldier be removed. While it will
eventually make its new home at the War Cemetery, the current
location of the statue is currently unknown. This morning the
MFA issued a release stating that the decision was made `to
avert further brutal acts of public violence,' and that the
Bronze Soldier was removed so that it `cannot be used in the
future as a reason or cause for extensive dangerous rioting.'
Prime Minister Ansip,s foreign policy advisor, Kyllike
Sillaste-Elling, reiterated to us the government,s feeling
that the events last night were the expressions of a small
minority of Estonia,s ethnic Russians and, as such, the
reaction will fade once the Bronze Soldier is relocated to a
nearby military cemetery. Therefore, the government does not
presently have a specific plan for reaching out to the ethnic
Russian community, as they do not want to frame the issue as
one of Estonians versus Russians. Sillaste-Elling said a
suitable new site for the statue is currently being prepared,
and relocation should occur within a few weeks. In the
meantime, MOD will proceed with excavation of any WWII-era
remains that may be at the old site of the statue.

4. (SBU)
In a tough, law-and-order public address at noon, President
Ilves noted that last night,s events were not ethnic violence,
but pure criminal activity and vandalism. In a veiled
reference to the fact that most of the rioters were Russians,
Ilves stated that such violence leaves a stain on young people
for their entire lives, `at least of those who want to live in
Europe.' At a press conference this morning, PM Ansip noted
that the GOE had planned to move the Bronze Soldier with
ceremony and respect, but that became impossible after last
night,s riots. The Tallinn City Council is complaining that
the government has left the city without protection.

5. (C)
Andreas Kaju, Advisor to Minister of Defense Jaak Aaviksoo,
indicated to us that the riots were not organized, but that
those involved were communicating through text

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messages and the Russian website Delfi,. He stated that
Estonian youths planning to gather tonight are communicating
through the same means. They are not believed to be acting on
the orders of extremist agitators, but are just `kids looking
for a fight.' Kaju noted that the Estonian security police,
KAPO, is approaching known Estonian nationalist leaders and
warning them to not act or risk extreme penalties. Kaju said
that the GOE always had a contingency plan in place to move
the monument immediately if violence escalated. In regards to
ongoing challenges in court, he noted that public safety and
order take precedence.

Reaction in the Community
-------------------------
6. (C)
Former Reform Party MP Sergai Ivanov, an ethnic Russian who
lost his seat in Parliament over the Bronze Soldier issue,
told us that he consistently told `his PM' that removal of the
statue was a mistake. He noted that recent events will further
strain relations with the Russian Federation, and as such
could make relations more difficult with the United States. He
touched on integration concerns, stating that he is a Reform
Party ethnic Russian who believes in liberal Reform Party
ideas; however, Russians generally find it difficult to
understand how he could be a member of the party whose actions
resulted in the removal of the Bronze Soldier.

7. (C)
Many have voiced their concern tous about the future of
integration in Estonia after last night,s events. Tanel Mtlik,
Director of the Non-Estonians, Integration Foundation told us
that recent events will have a very negative effect on
integration efforts, as they will reduce trust between
Russians and Estonians. He noted that many will fail to
understand that the rioting young people are just a very small
part of the Estonian society and are not representative of any
ethnicity and ultimately have nothing to do with the Bronze
Soldier. He stated that the Foundation has begun work on a
plan to restore trust and stabilize the situation between the
different communities. Currently, the Foundation is calling
for people to calm down and not react to provocations. Mtlik
stated that the Foundation is reaching out to various
communities and will likely address the public this afternoon.

8. (C)
Aleksandr Dusman, Chairman of the Ida-Virumaa Jewish community
and an active community integration leader, told us there has
never been a riot like this in Estonia. He agrees that last
night,s events were not organized by Russian extremists,
stating that the Russian community has no unifying leaders,
only fringe element extremists. Dusman highlighted the dangers
for the integration process including the possibility that,
due to the acts of a few, Estonians will lose faith in the
integration process, which may result in an Estonian backlash.
He believes that an even more pressing danger is that
Estonia,s Russian community may become even more susceptible
to Russian Federation propaganda and that Estonia,s Russian
press and will provide an opening for extremists.

GOLDSTEIN