Internal Security Day celebrated on anniversary of 1924 coup attempt
The police, defense forces, and rescuers are being celebrated and honored today in Estonia.
The day marks 90 years from an attempted coup in 1924 when the communists who were supported by the Soviet Union, tried to overturn the independent Estonian government and introduce a communist government instead.
Almost 300 communists participated, 125 of them were killed in the attempt. The plan envisaged the main attack aimed at Tallinn, with subsequent coups in Tartu, Narva, Pärnu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Kunda, and Kohila. The goal was the establishment of an Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic and of a "working people's government".
The coup failed, but Estonian government forces lost 26 men. The episode was later turned into a popular Estonian movie in 2008, "December Heat".
Minister of Interior Hanno Pevkur said the day is a reminder that the internal security of Estonia is not self-evident and it is not only up to policemen to assure the security. Every Estonian can ensure the internal security by being attentive to one's relatives and surroundings, he said.