Monument of Lihula is the colloquial name of a monument commemorating the Estonians who fought for Estonia against the Soviet Union in World War II, located in a privately owned museum in Lagedi, Estonia. The monument has been controversial due to, in part, its dedication to those who served in the German Wehrmacht and particularly in the Waffen-SS.
The monument has moved twice before ending up in the current location. It was originally unveiled[by whom?] in Pärnu on 2002, but taken down only nine days after prime minister Siim Kallas had condemned the statue.[1][2] The statue was then located in Lihula in 2004, finally being unveiled in Lagedi on October 15, 2005.
The monument depicts a soldier in a military uniform, with a German helmet, Estonian flag on the wrist and the "hand with a sword" symbol from the Cross of Liberty on the collar. There are no purely national-socialist symbols on the monument.[3][4][5][6] It consists of a bronze bas-relief and a dedication tablet mounted on a vertical granite slab. The tablet reads: "To Estonian men who fought in 1940-1945 against Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonian independence".
Controversy
As the dedication included those who served in the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200, the Wehrmacht and particularly the Waffen SS, a number of organisations condemned it; most notably the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued an official protest stating that the monument glorifies "those who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help achieve the victory of Nazi Germany".[7] Ilmar Haaviste, head of the Association of Estonian Veterans, who fought on the German side, says he does not regret taking the German uniform, because there was a "naïve" hope that somehow an independent Estonia could be salvaged. He thinks wearing a German uniform does not make you a fascist and that both regimes, Nazi and Soviet were equally evil – there was no difference between the two except that Stalin was more cunning.[8]Tiit Madisson, the governor of the Lihula parish, said at the opening ceremony that Estonians' serving in German army chose the lesser evil.[9] The monument caused concern among some Jewish officials and organisations, including the Chief Rabbi of Estonia and Russia’s Jewish Communities Federation.[10][11][12]
Some Estonians joined these formations voluntarily, the majority were conscripted by Germans.[13] The Nuremberg Trials, in declaring the SS a criminal organisation, explicitly excluded conscripts in the following terms:
Tribunal declares to be criminal within the meaning of the Charter the group composed of those persons who had been officially accepted as members of the SS as enumerated in the preceding paragraph who became or remained members of the organisation with knowledge that it was being used for the commission of acts declared criminal by Article 6 of the Charter or who were personally implicated as members of the organisation in the commission of such crimes, excluding, however, those who were drafted into membership by the State in such a way as to give them no choice in the matter, and who had committed no such crimes.
On April 13, 1950, a message from the U.S. High Commission in Germany (HICOG), signed by John J. McCloy to the Secretary of State, clarified the US position on the "Baltic Legions": they were not to be seen as "movements", "volunteer", or "SS". In short, they were not given the training, indoctrination, and induction normally given to SS members. Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared that:
The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States.
Concerns about Nazi glorification
The monument has been regarded as controversial, including by former Prime Minister Juhan Parts, who labeled the Lihula Monument a "provocation".[14] A number of rumours were circulated about the soldier depicted on the monument wearing Nazi symbolism, and thus constituting an attempt to glorify Nazism. As no such symbolism is on the bas-relief, sometimes the rumours have taken the form that these symbols were removed between the first and current installation.[15]
A semiotic analysis by professor Peeter Torop of University of Tartu, ordered by Lihula police department to analyse the installation concluded that no Nazi or SS symbols whatsoever appear in the bas-relief. He pointed out the monument's composition was "unduly militaristic", concluding that the monument could be said to be "rude or controversial" given its resemblance to wartime mobilisation posters.[3][16] He found no basis for the hypothesis that the installation of the monument would constitute an "incitement of social hatred". Under Estonian law, such incitement is a crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to three years. In any case, short of recasting, it would be very hard to modify a bronze-cast statue.
Moving the monument
In 2004, shortly after it was opened, the Estonian Government opposed the unveiling of the monument and ultimately ordered it to be removed.
The crane which arrived to remove the monument from Lihula could not enter the cemetery because of a crowd of protesting people. Riot police were called in, but as they arrived, locals started to throw stones at them and at the driver of the crane. After a fight between the crowd and the police, the people were driven back using teargas, and some policemen were treated for minor wounds in a hospital.[17]
After the removal of the monument, it was subsequently placed on October 15, 2005 on grounds of the privately owned Museum of Fight for Estonia's Freedom in Lagedi near Tallinn.[18] The monument has not been moved again.
^"When giants fought in Estonia". BBC News. May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
^"Estonia unveils Nazi war monument". August 20, 2004. Retrieved September 13, 2019 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
^FJC | News | Estonia Immortalizes Nazi Criminals 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
^. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
^. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
^Raun, Toivo (2001). Estonia and the Estonians. Hoover Press. pp. 158–159. ISBN978-0-8179-2852-0.
^"Estonia Unveils Nazi War Monument". BBC News. 20 August 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
^Baltic Times August 26, 2004: Monument unveiled despite criticism by Aleksei Gunter
^SL Õhtuleht September 14, 2004: Ekspert Peeter Torop: Lihula mälestussammas pole natslik 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine by Kadri Paas
^"Riot police help remove controversial WWII monument". www.baltictimes.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
^"Estonia Restores Monument to SS Legionnaires, Russia Angered - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM". Archived from the original on November 7, 2005. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
^"EKRE Lihula osakond meenutas kohalviibimisega samba teisaldamise 13 aastapäeva | EKRE – Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond". Retrieved September 13, 2019.
^Ilves, Kaie (August 25, 2018). "Lääneranna EKRE tahab Lihula samba tagasi tuua". Retrieved September 13, 2019.
External links
Looking for the truth behind Lihula
Muuseumisse pandud ajalugu (in Estonian)
(in Estonian)
February 20, 2023
monument, lihula, colloquial, name, monument, commemorating, estonians, fought, estonia, against, soviet, union, world, located, privately, owned, museum, lagedi, estonia, monument, been, controversial, part, dedication, those, served, german, wehrmacht, parti. Monument of Lihula is the colloquial name of a monument commemorating the Estonians who fought for Estonia against the Soviet Union in World War II located in a privately owned museum in Lagedi Estonia The monument has been controversial due to in part its dedication to those who served in the German Wehrmacht and particularly in the Waffen SS Lihula MonumentMonument at the war museum in LagediLocationLagedi EstoniaCoordinates59 23 23 N 24 56 27 E 59 389615 N 24 94081 E 59 389615 24 94081 Coordinates 59 23 23 N 24 56 27 E 59 389615 N 24 94081 E 59 389615 24 94081Established2005 firstly 2002 The monument has moved twice before ending up in the current location It was originally unveiled by whom in Parnu on 2002 but taken down only nine days after prime minister Siim Kallas had condemned the statue 1 2 The statue was then located in Lihula in 2004 finally being unveiled in Lagedi on October 15 2005 Contents 1 Description 2 Controversy 2 1 Status of the Baltic Legions 2 2 Concerns about Nazi glorification 3 Moving the monument 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDescription EditThe monument depicts a soldier in a military uniform with a German helmet Estonian flag on the wrist and the hand with a sword symbol from the Cross of Liberty on the collar There are no purely national socialist symbols on the monument 3 4 5 6 It consists of a bronze bas relief and a dedication tablet mounted on a vertical granite slab The tablet reads To Estonian men who fought in 1940 1945 against Bolshevism and for the restoration of Estonian independence Controversy EditAs the dedication included those who served in the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 the Wehrmacht and particularly the Waffen SS a number of organisations condemned it most notably the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued an official protest stating that the monument glorifies those who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help achieve the victory of Nazi Germany 7 Ilmar Haaviste head of the Association of Estonian Veterans who fought on the German side says he does not regret taking the German uniform because there was a naive hope that somehow an independent Estonia could be salvaged He thinks wearing a German uniform does not make you a fascist and that both regimes Nazi and Soviet were equally evil there was no difference between the two except that Stalin was more cunning 8 Tiit Madisson the governor of the Lihula parish said at the opening ceremony that Estonians serving in German army chose the lesser evil 9 The monument caused concern among some Jewish officials and organisations including the Chief Rabbi of Estonia and Russia s Jewish Communities Federation 10 11 12 Status of the Baltic Legions Edit See also Estonian Legion 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade and 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS 1st Estonian Some Estonians joined these formations voluntarily the majority were conscripted by Germans 13 The Nuremberg Trials in declaring the SS a criminal organisation explicitly excluded conscripts in the following terms Tribunal declares to be criminal within the meaning of the Charter the group composed of those persons who had been officially accepted as members of the SS as enumerated in the preceding paragraph who became or remained members of the organisation with knowledge that it was being used for the commission of acts declared criminal by Article 6 of the Charter or who were personally implicated as members of the organisation in the commission of such crimes excluding however those who were drafted into membership by the State in such a way as to give them no choice in the matter and who had committed no such crimes On April 13 1950 a message from the U S High Commission in Germany HICOG signed by John J McCloy to the Secretary of State clarified the US position on the Baltic Legions they were not to be seen as movements volunteer or SS In short they were not given the training indoctrination and induction normally given to SS members Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared that The Baltic Waffen SS Units Baltic Legions are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose ideology activities and qualifications for membership from the German SS and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States Concerns about Nazi glorification Edit The monument has been regarded as controversial including by former Prime Minister Juhan Parts who labeled the Lihula Monument a provocation 14 A number of rumours were circulated about the soldier depicted on the monument wearing Nazi symbolism and thus constituting an attempt to glorify Nazism As no such symbolism is on the bas relief sometimes the rumours have taken the form that these symbols were removed between the first and current installation 15 A semiotic analysis by professor Peeter Torop of University of Tartu ordered by Lihula police department to analyse the installation concluded that no Nazi or SS symbols whatsoever appear in the bas relief He pointed out the monument s composition was unduly militaristic concluding that the monument could be said to be rude or controversial given its resemblance to wartime mobilisation posters 3 16 He found no basis for the hypothesis that the installation of the monument would constitute an incitement of social hatred Under Estonian law such incitement is a crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to three years In any case short of recasting it would be very hard to modify a bronze cast statue Moving the monument EditIn 2004 shortly after it was opened the Estonian Government opposed the unveiling of the monument and ultimately ordered it to be removed The crane which arrived to remove the monument from Lihula could not enter the cemetery because of a crowd of protesting people Riot police were called in but as they arrived locals started to throw stones at them and at the driver of the crane After a fight between the crowd and the police the people were driven back using teargas and some policemen were treated for minor wounds in a hospital 17 After the removal of the monument it was subsequently placed on October 15 2005 on grounds of the privately owned Museum of Fight for Estonia s Freedom in Lagedi near Tallinn 18 The monument has not been moved again The Conservative People s Party of Estonia have declared that they want to move the statue back to Lihula 19 20 See also EditBronze Soldier of Tallinn another controversial monument in Estonia References Edit Eesti riik soovib Lihula ausammast endale Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Retrieved September 13 2019 Estonia removes SS monument July 24 2002 Retrieved September 13 2019 via news bbc co uk a b Postimees September 14 2004 Semiootikaprofessor Toropi hinnangul ei ole Lihula sammas natslik Archived 2005 09 28 at the Wayback Machine Semiootikaprofessori hinnangul ei ole Lihula sammas natslik Postimees 2004 09 15 Archived from the original on 2013 02 13 Retrieved 2009 09 24 Semiootikaprofessor Toropi hinnangul ei ole Lihula sammas natslik in Estonian Postimees 2004 09 14 Archived from the original on 2005 02 22 Retrieved 2009 09 24 Semiootik Torop Lihula malestussammas pole natslik in Estonian Eesti Paevaleht Retrieved 2009 09 24 Simon Wiesenthal Center August 25 2004 Wiesenthal center protests erection of monument commemorating Estonian SS division which fought with Nazis in World War II When giants fought in Estonia BBC News May 9 2007 Retrieved May 13 2010 Estonia unveils Nazi war monument August 20 2004 Retrieved September 13 2019 via news bbc co uk FJC News Estonia Immortalizes Nazi Criminals Archived 2007 09 27 at the Wayback Machine Russia s Jewish Communities Federation Setting up monuments to SS soldiers in Estonia is attempt to turn criminals and butchers into heroes of liberation war Russian News REGNUM Archived from the original on October 9 2007 Retrieved September 13 2019 News Releases SWC New Design Test Archived from the original on September 29 2007 Retrieved September 13 2019 Raun Toivo 2001 Estonia and the Estonians Hoover Press pp 158 159 ISBN 978 0 8179 2852 0 Estonia Unveils Nazi War Monument BBC News 20 August 2004 Retrieved 9 October 2009 Baltic Times August 26 2004 Monument unveiled despite criticism by Aleksei Gunter SL Ohtuleht September 14 2004 Ekspert Peeter Torop Lihula malestussammas pole natslik Archived 2007 09 28 at the Wayback Machine by Kadri Paas Riot police help remove controversial WWII monument www baltictimes com Retrieved September 13 2019 Estonia Restores Monument to SS Legionnaires Russia Angered NEWS MOSNEWS COM Archived from the original on November 7 2005 Retrieved September 13 2019 EKRE Lihula osakond meenutas kohalviibimisega samba teisaldamise 13 aastapaeva EKRE Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond Retrieved September 13 2019 Ilves Kaie August 25 2018 Laaneranna EKRE tahab Lihula samba tagasi tuua Retrieved September 13 2019 External links EditLooking for the truth behind Lihula Muuseumisse pandud ajalugu in Estonian Lihula Samba Lugu in Estonian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Monument of Lihula amp oldid 1107732618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
