Police confiscate copy of controversial Lihula Monument
The police on Saturday confiscated a copy of the Lihula Monument, which was to be used at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the monument's removal on Sunday. The authorities said that the monument might feature prohibited symbols.
MP Varro Vooglaid posted on social media that the police had confiscated the copy, which was planned to be unveiled on private land Sunday.
He wrote that the police pulled over a van that was transporting the monument and it was confiscated with help from the Rescue Board.
The politician also shared the contents of the police report where section 151 of the Penal Code, dealing with incitement of social hatred, is mentioned.
ERR was told by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) that they received a tip of plans to erect a monument in Lihula, which might display prohibited symbols.
"The symbolism of the monument needs to be assessed more carefully to determine whether it is permissible or illegal, which is why it cannot be installed at this time. On Saturday, the police stopped the driver transporting the stone in Harju County, and it has been taken into custody," said Üllar Kütt, head of operations for the West Prefecture.
"To our knowledge, the monument was intended to be erected in a location where it would be publicly visible, but the display of prohibited symbols is not allowed in public. Additionally, the land is within a road protection zone, and any work or construction there requires the permission of the road owner, which was not obtained in this case," Kütt explained.
"The stone that the police took into custody yesterday is very similar to a monument removed from Lihula in 2004, and its symbols can be associated with the Nazi German army. At the time, the monument caused societal conflicts and disagreements, and there is reason to believe that it could once again lead to division and public disorder," the police noted.
Vooglaid said that people would gather in Lihula despite the authorities' seizure of the monument.
The original monument, which also received international attention, was unveiled at the Lihula Cemetery on August 20, 2004. An inscription on it read, "To Estonian men who fought against bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonian independence." The monument was removed in the evening of September 2 of the same year. The removal sparked a conflict between the police and local residents.
The original column is located at the privately owned Museum of the Estonian Struggle for Freedom (Eesti Vabadusvõitluse Muuseum) in Lagedi.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Valner Väino, Marcus Turovski
