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Petition

Mr. José Manuel Durão Barroso
President of the European Commission

Dear Mr President,

We, the citizens of the European Community, are anxiously watching the gruelling situation of the Republic of Estonia, the member of the European Union since 2004. The sovereign decision of the authorities of the country's capital Tallinn on the removal of the Soviet soldiers' monument and twelve coffins of the Red Army soldiers from the city centre into the national military cemetery has triggered social unrest not only in Estonia's capital but also in Moscow. The riots masterminded by the pro-government Russian youth organization led to the attack on the Estonian embassy in Moscow, where it was surrounded and hurled rocks at. The aggressive mob has also desecrated the Estonian flag and taken a violent action against the car with ambassador Marina Kaljurand onboard. Finally, the Russian authorities declared an illegal trade war on Estonia.

The decision on the removal of the monument is not only a sovereign decision of the capital city's authorities of an independent state but also an homage to the thousands of victims of the Soviet imperialism in Estonia, who were murdered, imprisoned or sent into exile to Siberia. Once the German Nazis left the Estonian soil in 1944, the Estonian people issued a plea to the Western countries for help and protection of its neutrality in the conflict between the Soviet Union and the Third Reich. The request has been left unanswered, the result of which Estonia has been incorporated to the Soviet Union. Until 1953 the Forest Brothers, an Estonian guerilla movement waged a war with the brutal communist regime.

The democratic reforms started with the 'Letter of 40' and student strikes in 1980 ushered the 'Singing Revolution' in 1988 and ultimately led to sovereignty in 1991. 78% of the citizens supported the declaration of independence by way of referendum. In the following years Estonia saw an astonishingly rapid economic growth owing to free-market reforms and the abolition of budget deficit. All this has made Estonia the fastest developing country in Europe, whose experience is especially valuable for the postcommunist peoples which shared the harsh poverty and economic stagnation of the command economy in the communist epoch.

The Republic of Estonia, known as 'the small country that could', is now under threat of its neighbour's imperialistic ambitions dating back to the infamous Soviet tradition. The authorities of the Russian Federation tolerate national provocations directed against the Estonian citizens, whereby they question the sovereignty of the Republic of Estonia and strive towards its exclusion on the international scene.

We, the citizens of the European Union, urge you to take measures, which could prevent Russia from further attacks on one of the members of our Community.