Racism in Estonia

The charms and sights of Tallinn!

My husband got on the bus to go to the gym. The welcoming committee immediately awaited him and started shouting "Allahu Akbar"as soon as he was seen! What a personalized treat!

He tried to ignore them, but after several stops they still didn’t stop raging and he started recording on his phone. They became scared when the camera came out, but you can still hear a little (video) how they treat those who are not "one of your own". According to him, he was afraid that the men would become physically aggressive, because they had obviously been drinking, and he could not get anywhere from the moving bus.

While he was in a pub with friends, a stranger started staring at him and told him “you’re not one of us, you’re basically black” while pointing at his hair and beard.

While walking with a friend, people on the street have shouted insults at them as they walk past them.

Earlier, while walking in the old town, he was given an information leaflet about how the mixing of different races is harmful to the white race.

Estonia is developed and excellent in many areas, but it makes me even more amazed how people can persecute others without any kind of public criticism. We have so many good people, but these few people with such behavior spoil the image/image of Estonia, and I at least feel damn embarrassed when something like this happens and no one even says anything.

Why does this behavior receive so little public criticism? Public sources talk about racism in Estonia as if it is a disappearing or disappearing phenomenon, but is it really so?

In 2024, the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality and Equal Treatment published a special report on racial discrimination in Estonia (https://www.volinik.ee/infomaterjalid/eriraport-rassiline-diskrimineerimine-eestis). The survey (104 respondents) revealed that 55% of participants had experienced insulting or threatening remarks in the past 12 months, with 37% having experienced it on 3-6 different occasions and 4% saying it happens all the time. What is an offensive or threatening remark? Some examples of people’s experiences:

"I went to the park with my dog ​​on a leash and there was an older man with his dog. The man said: “In the civilized world you should ask permission before entering. Of course you don’t understand civilized things. Go back to Africa – why are you even here?” /…/ One of the things he said was “Nazi Negro”" (lk 31,33)

“I passed a man standing on the street who shouted to me, “Hello, black woman!” I stopped, thinking she might want some help, like asking for directions, and replied, “Hi, how can I help?” But I added, “You don’t have to say ‘black woman.’ Just say hello.” The situation ended with the man shouting all kinds of obscenities at me. It was the most unpleasant experience of discrimination in my life.” (lk 18)

And then the matter would be limited to the words:
"As soon as I got on the tram, some people started saying something to me. I understood a bit, they were Estonians and their comments were not very pleasant. One of the men was a little drunk and just before the stop he came up to me and showed me a knife. I was surprised. He threatened me with it, his friend took him away. One of them had an airsoft gun, which is dangerous when shooting at close range. It was probably the most physically violent thing I’ve ever experienced."" (lk 34)

The media covers racism in Estonia as if it were microaggressions and funny looks that only bother snowflakes and people who want to somehow impose their culture on Estonia. Do these experiences fit this description?

To come back to the original incident – drunk men on a bus yelling at someone.

What does the average Estonian do? Looks away because it’s none of his business or concern.

What does a foreigner who is yelled at see? The vast majority of Estonians either agree with the screamer or do not care enough to open their mouths and say something in the case of public persecution.

The bottom line is the same: “I don’t understand what I’ve done to deserve this kind of treatment, other than being born the way I am. I’m Russian if they have a grudge against the Russians, I’m an Arab or a Muslim if they have a grudge against them, I’m even black if they have a grudge against them. Everyone sees me as their enemy, no matter who I really am. I’m afraid that if I had started against them to argue, the other people on the bus would have left thinking that two drunk men and an immigrant were just arguing with each other”. (husband)

Does the opinion of these people represent our opinion as a nation? Why do we let them represent this opinion? Why do we let them Estonia represent?

Such criticism must come from us, from Estoniansbecause if we turn our eyes out of the window and ignore what is happening, then with our silence we give our own approval to the behavior.