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Estonia removes Soviet memorial Estonia removes Soviet memorial
(about 1 hour later)
The authorities in Estonia say they have removed a contentious Red Army war memorial from the centre of the capital, Tallinn. The Estonian authorities have removed a contentious Red Army war memorial in the capital, Tallinn, despite overnight protests that left one person dead.
The move follows violent clashes at the scene when police forced protesters away from the monument. More than 40 people were injured and 300 arrested during clashes at the site as police used tear gas to disperse mainly ethnic Russian demonstrators.
One person died and 44 people were injured during the protest, a government statement said. Russia says the memorial should not be removed, but many Estonians see it as a reminder of decades of Soviet rule.
The Russian government has said moving the memorial would be an insult to the soldiers who died during World War II. Russia condemned the move and was planning a response, an official said.
Most Estonians view the Red Army as enforcers of Soviet oppression, correspondents say. The memorial, a bronze statue of a Soviet soldier, was erected in 1947. The remains of Soviet soldiers are thought to be buried nearby.
Thursday's clashes broke out as demonstrators - mostly ethnic Russians - tried to prevent police from dismantling the memorial and removing the remains of 14 Soviet soldiers to a cemetery. Estonian officials said it had to be moved to a cemetery because the site attracted both Russian and Estonian nationalists.
'Not justified'
By Thursday evening, around 1,000 demonstrators gathered as police sealed off the site ahead of the removal.
Crowds gathered to protest against the removal of the statue
There were reports of looting and vandalism, and police used tear gas and water cannon when a group tried to break through a cordon around the monument. Several police were among the injured, reports said.
The statue was now at an undisclosed location, government spokesman Martin Jasko said.
"The aim of the government move was to prevent further similar gross violations of public order, which pose a real threat to citizens' health and property," a government statement said.
Ethnic Russians, who make up about a third of Estonia's 1.3 million population, say that the statue commemorates Red Army soldiers who died fighting Nazi Germany.
"The actions of the Estonian authorities are disappointing and cannot be justified", RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin as saying.
"International organisations should examine [the events in Tallinn] in all seriousness and take any necessary steps to cool the ardour of the Estonian authorities," he said.
But on Thursday, Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said the relocation of the memorial was a matter for Estonia alone.
"We don't consider it necessary to hold deep discussions with the Russian authorities over the internal affairs of Estonia," he said.