Reports
Estonia Weekly: Government Destroying Free Media and the Economy
This week Estonian media outlets and social media commentators were concerned about the economic issues and the strike of Estonian teachers, which was also utilized by the disinformation activists as a chance to address the national policy of transition to only Estonian teaching language in all state funded schools. Very interesting post on Facebook raised the issue of how the Russian speaking population relates to the Russian disinformation campaigns, and found no correlation in this regard. On a pure financial and economic note, the taxation policy of the current government is discussed this week, so arguing that “Kai Kallas' government raises taxes and cuts costs during a recession, the same was done in 2008. during the crisis of the year also the Andrus Ansip government, which led Estonia to a deep economic downturn. Whis comes to the this week narratives, is that it is incorrect to relate Russian speaking population with any kind of Kremlin Propaganda and influence operations; That this is failure of Estonian government successfully to implement the transition to education in Estonian language for the Russian schools; That government does not care about family, their priorities are LGBT rights, language policy, military spending, that State loyal media is not reliable and That current Estonian taxation policies can lead to the same economic effects of 2008 world economic crisis.
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Estonia Monthly: Yana Toom on the Estonian ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens
The Estonian social media and web-based media actors during the reporting month predominantly were still focused on the Estonian/Russian language policy issues, human rights issues, democracy and trust towards elected officials, war in Ukraine, terrorist crisis in Israel as well as the international security situation in general. Accordingly, the main narratives that were spread over the social media were the following:
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Estonia Weekly: Language, Culture, and Geopolitical Tensions
This week, social media and news outlets in Estonia concentrated on educational policies, particularly the use of the Estonian language in schools with Russian-speaking students, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. There was notable attention given to a pro-Palestine demonstration in Tallinn. Discussions also touched upon the significance of Russian culture in Estonia and the potential EU enlargement to include Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, arguing from a financial standpoint that these changes would not benefit Estonia. The narratives conveyed a sense of threat to language rights, misinformation about the Middle East, doubts about the benefits of EU enlargement for Estonia, concerns over the state of freedom of speech and assembly, and a belief in the deep ties between Estonian and Russian cultures.
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Estonia Weekly: Security, Policy Critiques, and Global Politics
The week's social media activity in Estonia centered on both global and national political issues. Security challenges, such as threats to the physical safety of Estonian schools, were a primary concern, with public discourse questioning potential links to Russian propaganda. The newly adopted vehicle taxation policy sparked varied reactions among citizens. Trade relations with South Korea and the European trade sphere were discussed as potential opportunities for Estonia. Many posts also addressed the situation in Israel. The predominant narratives cast doubts on the competence of national security services and politicians, criticized US foreign policy, and suggested that the Estonian government is not acting in the best interest of its people.
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