Singing revolution

Truth About the Recent History of Estonia

By Tann Weinberg

It all began on June 4, 1987, on the Tallinn City Hall Square, completely by chance, when the official part of the Old City Festival ended, and people didn't feel like going home yet. All of them – single people and young couples, some older people among them -- searched for activity for themselves. And they found it, when under the City Hall bell, at first two, later one more musician, started to play. These songs were especially popular, for singing of which, the militia could carry away. After some five minutes, the City Hall arcade was full of people. And more people were coming.

Finally, one nineteen year old girl, named Elfa, proposed to people to make a tour in the Old City. And so all the people, hand in hand, started to wander through the Old City. In different interesting courtyards and other places, they stopped. They made a pause in singing, and listened a short story about that place from a guide, who was among them, and they went ahead then. It continued so until four o'clock in the morning. In the end, when they all were back at the City Hall, they did agree that in the next evening, they would meet again at the same place. Also, all were asked to take their friends, relatives and other people who they know, with them. And this is what they did.

In the next evening, the City Hall arcade couldn't accommodate all the people any more. Some among the people tried to go to the stage, which was there for performances, and started to trample the rhythm there. After that, the vacation parks directress Rita Mägar (peace be with her) came there, she was also the chairwoman of the Old City Festival Organisation Committee. She asked to stop breaking the stage. She also said, that we perturb the sleep of the locals, and made a proposal that we could go to the Singing Square, she promised to call there, so that the lighting would be on. Of course we did happily agree. We couldn't disturb there anyone, and that place is there for singing. Initiated by Elfa again, led by us with the musical instruments, the procession started to silently move from the City Hall Square. And then again by singing.

At that, the militia appeared. The militia started to pick the underage ones from the procession. It was already later than twelve o'clock. We took all the youngsters under our protection. Some said that she is the elder sister, other said that he is a brother, other said that he/she is the mother or father. No one was carried away. But for militia, the things became more severe. The cars hurried there. And an intensive filming and photographing started. Probably most of these who were in that procession, were recorded. The length of the procession was such that it did extend from the City Hall Square to the Viru Gates. It was a nice to see, how the Estonians (together with a few Russians) marched so harmoniously through the city. And as promised, there was a nice lighting on the Singing Square, and soon also 6 militia cars appeared on the hill opposite to the Singing Arc, from which they continuously photographed, and apparently also filmed the people. We then quickly decided among ourselves, that we would not let anyone to provoke us, would behave composedly, and when leaving, will not leave any rubbish behind us – so that no one could reproach us anything. And all of us strictly obeyed these rules. In the next evenings, people came again to the Singing Square, after the end of the official part of the Old City Festival. And every next evening, there were more people. We also used to count people every evening. The results are written in the diaries. In the next evening, the City Hall arcade couldn't accommodate all the people any more. Some among the people tried to go to the stage, which was there for performances, and started to trample the rhythm there. After that, the vacation parks directress Rita Mägar (peace be with her) came there, she was also the chairwoman of the Old City Festival Organisation Committee. She asked to stop breaking the stage. She also said, that we perturb the sleep of the locals, and made a proposal that we could go to the Singing Square, she promised to call there, so that the lighting would be on. Of course we did happily agree. We couldn't disturb there anyone, and that place is there for singing. Initiated by Elfa again, led by us with the musical instruments, the procession started to silently move from the City Hall Square. And then again by singing.

At that, the militia appeared. The militia started to pick the underage ones from the procession. It was already later than twelve o'clock. We took all the youngsters under our protection. Some said that she is the elder sister, other said that he is a brother, other said that he/she is the mother or father. No one was carried away. But for militia, the things became more severe. The cars hurried there. And an intensive filming and photographing started. Probably most of these who were in that procession, were recorded. The length of the procession was such that it did extend from the City Hall Square to the Viru Gates. It was a nice to see, how the Estonians (together with a few Russians) marched so harmoniously through the city. And as promised, there was a nice lighting on the Singing Square, and soon also 6 militia cars appeared on the hill opposite to the Singing Arc, from which they continuously photographed, and apparently also filmed the people. We then quickly decided among ourselves, that we would not let anyone to provoke us, would behave composedly, and when leaving, will not leave any rubbish behind us – so that no one could reproach us anything. And all of us strictly obeyed these rules. In the next evenings, people came again to the Singing Square, after the end of the official part of the Old City Festival. And every next evening, there were more people. We also used to count people every evening. The results are written in the diaries.

In the fourth evening, there already were some more courageous ones among us. One girl carried a blue-black-white flag in the bosom. Five or six Punkers, who were among us, saw that, and not much time did pa*s before they had disentangled the flag cords of the masts on the substation roof, and soon the flag flowed at full mast. At first they wanted to hoist the flag to the pole of the flame tower, but Korsten forbid it. The Punkers were very happily on guard under the flag. This of course caused a high officer to arrive from a car which did stand at some distance, who ordered to take off the flag. Through some miracle everything resolved peacefully, the flag flied at the mast until morning, and the officer leaved. Later became clear, that the officer was from KGB. Rita Mägar, who joined us that evening, and apparently was sent to check the behavior of the people, just sighed that this would be her last working day. Fortunately it wasn't. In the next evening, the flag cords were disappeared from the masts. But this was not a big problem, the boys went quickly to Kadriorg, and were soon back with new cords, and a young man named Jaak was like a squirrel at the top of the mast. The cords were fastened and the flag flied again. Such was the week before Rodeo.

In the Supreme Soviet, they constantly complained about all these events. Some official even came to reprimand us. The people answered with a roaring song “We are the Forest Brothers” (the Forest Brothers were the partisans who fought the Soviet occupation forces). The official gave up. And finally, when it was already evident that nothing can be done – the people were just too rebellious – the band called Rodeo was sent to the Singing Square, and the leaders turned everything to their own benefit, as if they were generous, and sent us a band. After the Rodeo performance, the people didn't leave at all, but the joy and the celebration continued until morning. It was also obviously better to sing the known songs. Principally, it could been posed that the spontaneous activities were crushed, and the Communist Party fat bosses were honorable again. But they didn't consider that in the same evening, a half an hour interview with the description of all the events, was given to a Finnish radio station. By the latest evidence, this interview is st**l present in the archive. For certain reasons, I cannot reveal the name of that radio station. I hope that I will succeed to obtain these recordings, before someone would cover them (as these are evidently about a censored history). The other people in Estonia couldn't see the blue-black-white flags, which were present in the procession, before the year 1988. After it appeared once at the flag pole of the City Hall, and the militia took it off, accompanied by the jeers of the people. For hoisting that flag, and for a hand tie with a red question mark, I was even once arrested in Pagari (the former building of the KGB in Pagari street). Fortunately only for one night, and without any bigger violence. Tre trump which we had then, was continuous communication with the foreign press, and KGB knew it. The following people testify these events: Pelle-Rein Popovitš, Arne Meensalu alias Korsten, Laine Vainumäe, Tiiu Vainumäe, Jaan Roop, Tiina Paidra, certainly Jüri Liim, who was the anchorman in the live broadcast in 1994, where 4 hour interview about these events was given, and certainly also many other people who were present, who I hope to find by the published calls.

PS! In the next year -- in the year 1988 – the initiated tradition continued already in the official form. The people were thankful to the leaders, and the latter ones were satisfied with themselves. But unfortunately the authorities and the historians have written only about that last form of the events, without the events which preceded them. But without these preceding events, the several years long tradition could not been initiated. Certainly, many people remember the sentence which appeared in the press, that before these official events, there was some kind of Punks song festival. The same disparaging remark was publicly made during the events by the singer in the band Rodeo, Mart Mikk. But by that he also proved that something really happened before the official events.