On whose side are Belarusians in Estonian-Russian scandal?
Problems concerning the Estonian scandal have not been settled yet although more than a week has passed. The problem is discussed by livejournal users.
The community minsk.by (http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/3384551.html, http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/3389414.html) зcounts more then a hundred commentaries on the Estonian issue. Russian journals are full of messages about it (http://dolboeb.livejournal.com/932748.html).
“It is worse then Gestapo here”, — say Estonian lj-usershttp://lunnajakoshka.livejournal.com/72079.html, http://users.livejournal.com/_ea_/184468.html, http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/trapt/post38015160/, http://krishtafovitsh.livejournal.com/131940.html, http://fyysik.livejournal.com/609368.html, http://community.livejournal.com/estonia/2068690.html).
ERB NOTE:
Transfer of the monument to the Soviet Warrior-Liberator and excavation at the cemetery in the centre of Tallinn have provoked mass riots in the Estonian capital on the night of April 27. More than a thousand people got detained and one person died in the clashes with the police.
At the same time the Russian Duma urged the Estonian Parliament to resign. Estonia is asking the European Union to impose sanctions against Russia. The speaker of the Georgian Parliament denounces Russia. A former Belarusian presidential candidate Syarhey Haidukevich is indignant at the actions of the Estonian authorities.
Activists from Belarusian youth organizations, participants of many meetings, and veterans shared their points of view with the European Radio for Belarus. The reaction of all of them was rather unexpected.
A civil activist Krystsina Shatsikava does not support any of the sides and says it is their fault they did not manage to settle the conflict:
“I am against the Estonian authorities who used power to defend the government’s decision. What is the difference from Belarusian actions…? On the one hand we are bored with going out with balloons. But I think that participants of meetings should not maraud”.
What would the Belarusian authorities do if they followed Estonia’s example? A member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Victar Lazebnik says:
“We should have demolished the monument to Lenin in the centre of Minsk. But we haven’t done it. We have a mentality of a civilized state. This is a totally unprepared EU member. I cannot say it is fascism to start such an undemocratic action, but it is real stupidity”.
Another Belarusian civil activist Artur Finkevich thinks it is necessary to pull down all monuments to Soviet warriors:
“I am on the Estonians’ side. Both German and Soviet troops were occupants of their country”.
The soloist of a Homel band “TT-34” Kanstantsіn Astapenka who performed at a musical festival in Estonia says:
“They must have forgotten what Russian tanks look like and decided to show off. Demolishing monuments is wrong. It is terrible. You should respect your country’s history to respect yourself”.
There are no monuments like that in Belarus. But a similar problem may arise in Poland. They are going to transfer all monuments to Soviet warriors to cemeteries.
While Russians are refusing to buy “Tallinn” sausages, Belarusians are trying to express their protest too. A meeting took place near the Estonian Embassy in Minsk on the morning of May 3.
Our reporter arrived there an hour after the meeting had started. But everything was over at that moment. Political views are one thing, but cold is important too. The cold obviously won.
The community minsk.by (http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/3384551.html, http://community.livejournal.com/minsk_by/3389414.html) зcounts more then a hundred commentaries on the Estonian issue. Russian journals are full of messages about it (http://dolboeb.livejournal.com/932748.html).
“It is worse then Gestapo here”, — say Estonian lj-usershttp://lunnajakoshka.livejournal.com/72079.html, http://users.livejournal.com/_ea_/184468.html, http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/trapt/post38015160/, http://krishtafovitsh.livejournal.com/131940.html, http://fyysik.livejournal.com/609368.html, http://community.livejournal.com/estonia/2068690.html).
ERB NOTE:
Transfer of the monument to the Soviet Warrior-Liberator and excavation at the cemetery in the centre of Tallinn have provoked mass riots in the Estonian capital on the night of April 27. More than a thousand people got detained and one person died in the clashes with the police.
At the same time the Russian Duma urged the Estonian Parliament to resign. Estonia is asking the European Union to impose sanctions against Russia. The speaker of the Georgian Parliament denounces Russia. A former Belarusian presidential candidate Syarhey Haidukevich is indignant at the actions of the Estonian authorities.
Activists from Belarusian youth organizations, participants of many meetings, and veterans shared their points of view with the European Radio for Belarus. The reaction of all of them was rather unexpected.
A civil activist Krystsina Shatsikava does not support any of the sides and says it is their fault they did not manage to settle the conflict:
“I am against the Estonian authorities who used power to defend the government’s decision. What is the difference from Belarusian actions…? On the one hand we are bored with going out with balloons. But I think that participants of meetings should not maraud”.
What would the Belarusian authorities do if they followed Estonia’s example? A member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Victar Lazebnik says:
“We should have demolished the monument to Lenin in the centre of Minsk. But we haven’t done it. We have a mentality of a civilized state. This is a totally unprepared EU member. I cannot say it is fascism to start such an undemocratic action, but it is real stupidity”.
Another Belarusian civil activist Artur Finkevich thinks it is necessary to pull down all monuments to Soviet warriors:
“I am on the Estonians’ side. Both German and Soviet troops were occupants of their country”.
The soloist of a Homel band “TT-34” Kanstantsіn Astapenka who performed at a musical festival in Estonia says:
“They must have forgotten what Russian tanks look like and decided to show off. Demolishing monuments is wrong. It is terrible. You should respect your country’s history to respect yourself”.
There are no monuments like that in Belarus. But a similar problem may arise in Poland. They are going to transfer all monuments to Soviet warriors to cemeteries.
While Russians are refusing to buy “Tallinn” sausages, Belarusians are trying to express their protest too. A meeting took place near the Estonian Embassy in Minsk on the morning of May 3.
Our reporter arrived there an hour after the meeting had started. But everything was over at that moment. Political views are one thing, but cold is important too. The cold obviously won.
