Memorial Event for Deportation Victims Sparks Candle Scandal
Organizers in Pärnu made a mess of a memorial event on Monday dedicated to the victims of the 1949 mass deportations, prompting comments from the Estonian president that the mismanagement was "embarrassing" and "shameful."
Along with the rest of the country, Pärnu marked the solemn anniversary by laying thousands of candles on a town square. Residents expected the flames to glow throughout the night; however, before the evening was over, the 5,000 candles were pushed together with shovels, scooped up by a small tractor and dumped into the back of a truck.
When bewildered bystanders asked why the candles were being cleaned up so early, the team of cleaners responded that the event, organized by a nonprofit and an IRL member, officially ended at 21:00 and that they were simply following their orders.
IRL's regional chairman Siim Suursild told uudised.err.ee on Tuesday that the botch was unacceptable.
"As far as I know, the permit for the public event was effective between the hours of 18:00 and 21:00. For that period, supervision was ensured for the flames. But, of course, the fact that the candles were scooped up by a tractor is in no way a pretty picture. There is no excuse for this," Suursild said, adding that the organizers were probably inexperienced.
"People could not have imagined that the cleaning company would show up with a tractor. The outcome was extremely regrettable," Suursild said.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves commented on the mismanagement on his Facebook page. "It is embarrassing and shameful that Pärnu's cordial memorial event for the anniversary of the March deportations was ended in such a distasteful manner. I hope that those who were tied to it explain and apologize," Ilves said.
An apology was issued by IRL's Pärnu chairman, Meelis Kukk, who was not himself an organizer.