Gallery: Tallinn’s Freedom Square filled with balloon “sea of tears” on 75th anniversary of June 14 deportations
Estonia observed a national day of mourning on Tuesday, during which all flags were flown at half staff or displayed topped with a black “mourning ribbon.” 75 years ago, nearly 10,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia during the very early hours of June 14th.
In the Estonian capital’s Freedom Square, the victims of the 1941 June deportations (called juuniküüditamine in Estonian) were commemorated with a memorial ceremony and an “Sea of Tears” installation, reported ERR’s television news.
The installation, which comprised of thousands of blue balloons, was put in place in the middle of the square, and a memorial ceremony held by the War of Independence Victory Column beginning at 12 p.m. was followed by three minutes of tolling of Tallinn’s medieval old town’s church bells.
The names of 12,000 individuals repressed and directly affected by the 1941 June deportations, including those deported and those sent to prison camps, were also displayed on the square’s large screens.
Editor: Editor: Aili Sarapik