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Europe
Russia and Estonia in Soviet spat
2006-12-03
From the BBC:
Russia has protested about plans by Estonia to criminalise displays of Soviet symbols. A Russian foreign ministry spokesman said it was "blasphemous" to equate the hammer and sickle with Nazi emblems.
'Blasphemous': what an odd word to use about communist symbols.
The Estonian government has put a bill before parliament calling for fines or jail terms of up to three years for those who display such symbols. Estonia was occupied by the Nazis in World War II and then ruled by Moscow for five decades. Russia denies the Soviet years amounted to an "occupation" of Estonia.
Nope, nope, never happened
No, no, certainly not.
It wudn't an occupation. It wuz... ummm... something else.
War veterans in the large Russian minority in Estonia often wave red Soviet flags when marking Soviet-era anniversaries.
Tallinn, in particular, is starting to see a number of skinheads wearing KKK and Nazi symbols, and a rise in racist violence
The Baltic republic regained its independence became independent in 1991 and is a member of both NATO and the EU.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on Thursday that "recently the Estonian side has been obstinately taking provocative steps aimed at seriously aggravating our relations".

"The Estonian authorities are continuing their blasphemous ...
'Blasphemy, I tell you! Of the worst kind!'
... attempts to rewrite the history, bracketing Nazi crimes with the feat of the Soviet people, who made a decisive contribution to the liberation of Europe from fascism," Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Yea, that's how Estonians remember it, too
Posted by:Mizzou Mafia

#7  Apparently the Clintons haven't told Russia that FASCISM/NAZISM = NEW COMMUNISM, at least temporily until Years 2015-2020 when Hated Fascist/Nazi America = Well-Meaning but Error-ful Limited Commie Amerika, the mighty USSA = weak anti-sovereign Amer SSR/USR, etc is defeated iff not DESTROYED. Presum that Hillary fails in 2008 but wins in 2012 > after Year 2016 POTUS Hillary will have to deal wid Russian-Chicom Aircraft Carriers + possible anti-American Global Nuke War.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-12-03 23:59  

#6  Ed, pretty much.

BTW, I broke my own tags in the story -- Estonians didn't become independent in 1991, they regained it. Somehow I reversed the strikethrough tag.

I'm a radical libertarian when it comes to free speech. I think the best thing the U.S. let, for example, the Klan do was talk, or the Nazis -- "I hate Illinois Nazis". They, over time, have become objects of scorn.

Estonia (and Europe) is different. You want to have a protest, you better have a permit.
What the story didn't say is that the Nazi flag is already banned in Estonia. This is just extending it to another symbol of totalitarianism (in the Estonians' minds).
I would like to see them enforce it, however. I see young Russians in Estonia running around with sweatshirts with the hammer and sickle and the CCCP. On Victory Day, the Soviet flags will be out. The only thing that will cure it, IMO, is the passage of time, and the veterans of WW2 dying.
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia   2006-12-03 16:48  

#5  Latvians Estonians
Posted by: ed   2006-12-03 14:34  

#4  The Soviets re-annexed Estonia and Latvia and Lithuania in June 1940 (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) with all the attendant executions and deportations to Siberia. The Germans didn't invade until June 1941. So I can see where the Latvians might dispute the liberation claims.
Posted by: ed   2006-12-03 14:33  

#3  Why, it wuz so bad it blew the HTML tags, too!
Posted by: .com   2006-12-03 14:08  

#2  "blasphemous">/I>

From a Marxist? Blew the Boggle Meter again.
Posted by: .com   2006-12-03 14:04  

#1  expect various Estonian officials to fall ill after eating sushi
Posted by: Frank G   2006-12-03 14:00  

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