Estonia unveils Nazi war monument
An Estonian town has unveiled a controversial monument to honour
those who fought with Nazi forces against the Soviet Union in World
War II.
The monument depicts an Estonian soldier in German military uniform.
The local authorities in the western town of Lihula said they wanted
to honour those Estonians who had to choose between the two sides.
But the Estonian Prime Minister, Juhan Parts, described the monument
as a provocation.
An investigation is underway into whether it could incite political
hostilities.
'Less evil one'
About 2,000 people attended the unveiling ceremony on Friday.
"This monument is for people who had to choose between two evils, and
they chose the less evil one," Tiit Madisson, the governor of the
Lihula parish, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
"They had already experience of the Soviet occupation, and they
didn't want it to come back," he added.
A plaque on the monument reads: "To Estonian men who fought in
1940-1945 against Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonian
independence."
Correspondents say no official protest had been received from Russia,
which was widely expected to condemn the monument.
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