# The Bronze Night riots (26–27 April 2007)

URL: https://allhistories.com/estonia/timeline/2007-the-bronze-night-riots
Themes: Key Events

On the nights of 26 and 27 April 2007 Tallinn experienced the worst rioting since the restoration of independence. The unrest erupted after the government began preparations to move the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Second World War memorial, from Tõnismägi in the city centre and to exhume the remains of soldiers buried beside it. For many ethnic Estonians the statue symbolised Soviet occupation and repression, while for many Russian speakers it honoured victory over Nazi Germany and their place in Estonian society. Crowds of protesters clashed with police, shop windows were smashed and stores looted. One young Russian citizen, Dmitri Ganin, was fatally stabbed, dozens were injured and more than a thousand people were detained. After the first night the government of Andrus Ansip ordered the statue removed at once. It was re-erected at the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn at the end of April. Russia reacted furiously: the Estonian embassy in Moscow was besieged by pro-Kremlin youth activists for days, rail freight transit was disrupted and Estonian government and commercial websites came under sustained cyberattack. The Bronze Night exposed deep divisions over memory and identity between Estonians and the Russian-speaking minority. It prompted new efforts at social integration, while also hardening attitudes towards Moscow's influence.

## Why it matters
The riots were the gravest domestic crisis since 1991 and exposed the clash of historical memories within Estonian society.

Ruler at the Time: [Toomas Hendrik Ilves](https://allhistories.com/estonia/rulers/toomas-hendrik-ilves)

Prime Minister: Andrus Ansip (Reform Party)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Bronze Night](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Night)
- [Wikipedia — Bronze Soldier of Tallinn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Soldier_of_Tallinn)
- [Wikipedia — Russians in Estonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russians_in_Estonia)
- [ERR News — Estonian Public Broadcasting](https://news.err.ee/)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — The Bronze Night riots](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=The+Bronze+Night+riots)
- [Wikipedia — History of Estonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Estonia)