The majority of victims were Jews transported to Klooga, part of a network of labor camps in Estonia, by the Nazis from Latvia and Lithuania. Estonia was occupied by Nazi Germany between 1941-1944.

Members of Estonia's Jewish community, the president, foreign minister and diplomats attended the event in Harju County, around 40 minutes west of Tallinn.

In a speech. President Alar Karis said: "Evil is never anonymous, evil always has a face and a name."

The head of state said crimes against humanity committed in the name of ideologies and regimes are carried out by individuals. These people cannot be allowed to say they were only following orders.

The legacy of WWII German occupation in #Estonia includes the tragic history of concentration camps & Jewish persecution. As we honor the 80th anniversary of the Klooga camp victims, we remember the atrocities & stand in solidarity with all #Holocaust victims. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/3VfFfSylCo

— Alar Karis (@AlarKaris) September 19, 2024

"Because impunity gives courage to new crimes against humanity," he told the crowd. "We must recognize militant tyranny early and stop it. That it will never be too late again and that when we wake up tomorrow we won't regret what we didn't do today. It is a measure of both humanity and responsibility."

"This is a painfully heavy mark in the history of Estonia and the Jewish people. I remember all the victims of the Holocaust," he said.

The commemoration was organized by the Estonian delegation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Association and the Estonian Jewish Community.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) also made a statement to mark the anniversary.

"Due to the cruel and inhuman Nazi ideology, Nazi Germany systematically murdered millions of innocent Jews all over Europe," he said. "Unfortunately, due to the German occupation authorities, these horrors also reached the territory of Estonia."

He added that we must remain vigilant because, in many parts of the world, extremism is on the rise.

Historical atrocities must be remembered and prevented from happening again, he said, adding it is important to consistently fight against anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and religious intolerance in international cooperation.

"The incitement of hatred, discrimination and intolerance must have no place in our societies."

The Klooga Concentration Camp was established in September of 1943 by German occupation authorities. It was a forced labor camp that was part of the Vaivara camp system in Estonia.

On September 19 in 1944, during the German occupation, one of the biggest mass murders in Estonia took place in Klooga when the Red Army was approaching and all the nearly 2,000 Jews were executed in the camp. 

You can read more about the holocaust in Estonia and Kooga camp here.

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