"This act is especially blasphemous against the background of the recent celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Allies landing in Normandy," the ministry said, "and the preparations for the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
"The fact that revanchist trends appear in a country, which recently joined the European Union and NATO, arouses serious concern. What is Brussels' attitude toward the activities of former Nazi collaborators in Estonia who try to revise the history of World War II?"
The ministry said that unfortunately, this was not the first example of honoring SS men in Estonia, who were condemned by the Nuremberg tribunal.
However, in this case the Lihula authorities tried to conceal this fact by saying that the monument was to "Estonians who fought in 1940-1945 against Bolshevism for the restoration of Estonia's independence." For instance, Nazi symbols were removed from the monument.
"Meanwhile, it is not a secret that SS men in the 20th Estonian division are being made heroes across the country," the ministry noted.
The monument in Lihula was unveiled on Friday. It is a bas-relief portraying a soldier in a Nazi uniform. The inscription on it says: "To Estonians who fought in 1940-1945 against Bolshevism for the restoration of Estonia's independence". No officials attended the ceremony.
The news of the intention of Lihula's authorities to unveil the monument caused negative public response.
Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts resolutely condemned the action calling it a provocation. Some Estonian public organizations, including the Anti-Nazi committee and the Jewish community, protested against it, as well. In particular, the Estonian United People's Party, which defends the interests of the Russian-speaking population of Estonia, called on the government to prevent the monument from being unveiled.
