"Chas" (Latvia) 09th of July 2007

A birthday under Hitler’s flag celebrated the minister of justice of Estonia

Estonia is in the hands of scandal again. Minister of justice Rein Lang received congratulations with his 50th birthday on the background of a large flag of Hitler’s Germany. Usage of Nazi symbols in Estonia is officially forbidden, just like in Latvia. However, this fact did not stop the minister of (!) justice... Now an influential representative of the European Union is threatening to punish Estonia for rehabilitation of fascism.

Rein Lang invited his guests for the jubilee in a Tartusk inn «Pyussirohukelder» («Powder magazine», on the photo below). And there would be nothing wrong with that, had mister minister not asked his guests to dress like they would in Bavaria of the 30s, had the “Powder magazine” not been styled like Munchen beer bars of the times when fascism was born and had he not provided the invited with a one-man-show «Adolf», performed on the background of a large fascist flag. The performance is based on the play by a British director and actor Pip Utton. Staging by the Estonian theatre “Vanemuyne” is Hitler’s monologue before the suicide.

Director of the play “Adolf” Erwin Yunapuu is sure that one shouldn’t seek historical meaning in the performance. In his opinion, «sometimes it is interesting to look at the problems, which worried people half a century ago. More so, since the majority of them weren’t solved». By Yunapuu’s words, fuehrer’s typology may be found in many modern people - «you should just look around, for instance at the election posters». At that, he doesn’t seem to note that the monoperformance contains Hitler’s appeal to his comrades to “carry on and further the ideas of the Third Reich”. That neither worries the head of Estonian government Andrus Ansip, who did not just found nothing wrong with it, but even recommende the Estonians to see it. «This performance is adapted to the Estonian reality, - considers Ansip. – In the first Act it is Nazism, in the second – our Estonian reality. This is one performance with deep antifascist content».

Swastika is OK?

What happened in the “Powder Magazine” and its evaluation by the Prime Minister are quite in the spirit of what’s going on lately in Estonia. It is well known that in this country, not so long ago, there were heard appeals to allow the free distribution of literature advertising the Nazi ideology. Here, as we can see, “sxtravagant” performances are staged and ambiguous parties are held. The reformist party of Estonia, to which belongs Rain Lang is proposing the exhumation of the remains of soviet warriors in Tynismyagi. The same Lang two years ago participated in the 13th meeting of the veterans of the 20th Estonian SS Division and the “forest brothers” troops. Ans three years ago, the executive secretary of the centrist party Mart Viyzitamm, during his birthday, had put on the vermacht uniform and greeted his friends with Nazi salute. Later he explained this by… the fact that during that year the plans of opening the Lihul monument were widely discussed and the Nazi symbols were current, like T-shirts with Hitler’s portrait. Lang refused to comment at all, stating that «a birthday is my personal business».

It is clear, that since the authority representatives take ambiguous decisions themselves and participate in doubtful events, there was no censure. And Tallinn probably decided not to take any notice of the precedents. And they should have, since Estonia and, for instance, Great Britain are members of the same union – the European. Prince Harry had much more trouble from his father – prince Charles for showing up the swastika during the excursion in Osventsem. And in spite of the excuses of the heir of the throne and the press service of the Buckingham palace, the British society was greatly indignant...

Will Europe forgive Tallin?

In Estonia, only the “Nochnoy dozor” movement was indignant, stating that it will address the government of the republic, asking for an evaluation of the Rain Lang’ action and demand for his immediate retirement.

EU didn’t stay aside either. Ex president of the Euro Parliament, and actual co-chairman of the constitutional committee of the Euro Parliament, representing the Social-democratic party of Germany Klaus Hench said that in the majority of countries of the EU, such man as Lang would no longer be a minister. In his opinion, the party in “Hitler” style can not be a private matter, when dealing with a public person. «Since April of this year, the resolution of the ministers of justice of the EU countries declaring public exhibition of the Nazi symbols a punishable deed, has been enacted. However, the trouble is that measures against such violation are to be applied by the national parliament and the government – and we can’t press on them or force to take measures from here, Brussels», - said Hench. At that he stressed that he hoped the Estonian Partiament will not let this incident to pass unnoticed.

By his words, EU may affect the situation only in case there will emerge facts that Estonian government not only does not forbid such activity, but promotes them. Only them EU will impose sanctions, which provide for “punishment of the defaulting country including its exclusion from the EU”.

However, knowing the slow motion of the EU actions and its unclear reaction to the relocation of the Bronze soldier, we may hardly expect this to happen in the near future. As a maximum, we can expect expulsion of Lang form the Estonian Government, if Tallinn is unsuccessful in humming the scandal.

A final stroke

After the events of the “Bronze night”, founder and chief editor of the Russian language version of the informational portal Delfi I. Kuldma, had to resign, informs IA «Rosbalt». Its opinion is that the reason for resignation was ignore of the strict political directive – to inform about the situation in the country and the activity of the Estonian government “correctly”, meaning as he was told to. As the result, explains the journalist, he was frankly stated that “any disagreement with the governmental position is a criminal felony”.

Alexandr ROSTOTSKIY