Pre-conference Crisis Update #1


11:00h EEST: The End of Linnahall?

The Tallinn city government has today announced their plans to tear down Linnahall, a Soviet-era concert hall located on the waterfront of downtown Tallinn, Estonia. Linnahall, constructed for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, was once praised for its bold architecture. Since then Linnahall has fallen into a state of disrepair. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Linnahall remained a striking symbol of Estonia's past. Today's Russia has become more keenly determined to preserve their Soviet legacy leading to increased tensions against the West. Observers wonder whether Linnahall's impending demise will only aggravate the situation further. 

15:00h EEST: Ethnic Violence in Estonia!

Tallinn police have reported that fifty protesters assembled at Linnahall earlier in the day. After breaking the window of a nearby Swedish ferry, several of the protesters were arrested. Those arrested are all residents of Narva, a predominantly Russian-speaking city in eastern Estonia. While Narva lies on the Estonian side of the border, Narva feels much more at "home" in Russia. Many of the signs are in Russian first before Estonian--if Estonian is included at all. It's a border in-name-only for many of the people in Narva.  


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