Culture currently accounts for less than two percent of Estonia's total state budget. However, more than ten percent of the planned cuts will affect the cultural sector. The organizers of Tuesday's protest say they are calling for a debate on what society expects from culture in general and how to achieve equal treatment for different areas in the state budget.

"Above all, we are calling for a broader discussion on what the cultural budget of the Republic of Estonia should be, both good and bad," said Elin Kard, president of the Estonian Artists' Union.

"It is certainly not our aim for the Riigikogu to not adopt this budget, and it is certainly not our aim to do what has always been done: redistribute the current pot again and again to get more money. Let's just identify changes in the law that will help us: tax laws, laws for creators," Kard continued.

The protestors also pointed out that over the last 20 years, the ratio of funds allocated from the state budget to the cultural sector has almost halved, and while it is understandable that Estonia's current priority is security, those numbers do not bode well for the future.

"Before the cultural sector cuts, we could begin the discussion about what the funding for culture ought to be, and only then move on to whether we have something to cut. As thing stand, we cut away and only then discuss what the amount should be," said Gert Raudsep, chair of the Estonian Theater Union.

The Ministry of Culture was also criticized for discussing cutback plans behind closed doors without involving representatives from the cultural sector.

"The Ministry of Culture is by far the smallest and weakest iof its type, and from there this weakness trickles down to the Estonia's permanent cultural institutions, which form the backbone and skeleton of our national culture," said Sirp editor-in-chief Kaarel Tarand.

"But that skeleton has been chewed to such a pulp at the moment that there is no more meat to be taken from it. So we have to start by doing something about this weak institution, to make it strong, and then there will be growth and people will start to understand how much culture brings in, not takes away," Tarand said.

The message from the protestors was unanimous: it is not only the cultural practitioners themselves that are needed in order to contribute to the preservation of Estonian culture, but also public funds.

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