Police to end manned guarding of Bronze Soldier

The manned guarding of the Bronze Soldier Soviet monument in central Tallinn will be ended as soon as a security camera is installed and working, says North Estonian police prefect Raivo Küüt. Police say should any actions be organized at the monument, it is likely that the police will again man the guard. Until then, they will attempt to treat it as any other city park.

The Minister of the Interior, Kalle Laanet, banned public meetings at the Bronze Soldier monument in May. Since then, police have provided a 24-hour security at the monument. The Bronze Soldier is a Soviet monument erected in 1947 to commemorate Soviet soldiers who died in WWII. The monument has been the venue of Soviet veteran meetings each year and has become a source of inter-ethnic tensions. Unlike statues of Lenin, this Soviet symbol has not been torn down. Look for the November City Paper print edition for a full report.