An important theme in my book is the tenuous state of relations between ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians in Estonia in 1992. With the notable exception of the unfortunate bronze soldier riots in 2007, relations have generally improved, as more and more ethnic Russians have gained the right to vote and have joined the Estonian political process.
Now comes a story out of Kohtla-Järve, a heavily Russian city in northeastern Estonia. It seems that a doctor (an orthopedic surgeon, no less) lost his temper and “threw a 14-year-old boy’s passport into a bin because the boy could not speak Estonian and answered questions in Russian”. Score one step backwards for inter-ethnic relations.
But the story doesn’t end there. The Estonian medical community quickly distanced itself from the doctor’s behavior, and he was fired from the hospital in which he worked. The latter move may have been a bit of an overreaction, but overall I think we can score it as at least one-and-a-half steps forward. So, net gain = 1/2 step.
Baltic Reports has complete coverage of the incident here.
