Fresh Estonian violence leads to 600 arrests

TALLINN, Apr 28 (Reuters) Police arrested 600 people and 96 were injured in a second night of clashes in Estonia's capital over the removal of a disputed World War Two Red Army monument, the police said today.

Russia has reacted furiously to the moving of the monument.

today, it said police used excessive force to crack down on protesters and demanded Estonia investigate the death of a Russian citizen in the riots.

Estonia has said the statue had become a public order menace as a focus for Estonian and Russian nationalists, and protests have mainly been by young Russian-speakers.

Police charged protesters, fired tear gas and rubber bullets and used water cannon on Friday night to break up gangs of youths, many in their early teens, marauding through the city.

''The situation calmed down on Saturday morning after police dispersed the crowds, and has been peaceful from that time,'' said police spokesman Taavi Kullerkupp.

Some 50 premises, mostly shops, were vandalised, compared with about 100 the day before.

Baltic news agency BNS said some disturbances involving youths had broken out yesterday in the town of Johvi, in the northeast, where many Russian-speakers live.

The removal of the 2-metre high bronze statue of a World War Two Red Army soldier angered some Russian-speakers, who number about 300,000 in a country of 1.3 million.

It was taken away at dawn yesterday after riots led to the death of one man who was stabbed by another demonstrator. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the victim was a Russian citizen living in Estonia.

''We demand the Estonian authorities make available to us all information about the incident, investigate it promptly and bring to justice those responsible for this crime.

''As a result of the excessive use of force by the Estonian authorities against the demonstrators ... tens of civilians suffered.'' The statement said Russia hoped for an appropriate international response to Estonia's actions.

PUTIN CONCERN Russia, which has had troubled ties with Estonia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, had said moving the monument was an insult to those who fought against fascism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his concern about removing the monument and the police crackdown on riots in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who holds a rotating chairmanship in the European Union.

''In response, Merkel spoke in favour of finding a prompt solution to the situation and of both sides exercising restraint,'' a Kremlin press release said.

Dozens of members of pro-Kremlin youth movements, some of them dressed in World War Two Red Army uniforms, picketed the Estonian embassy and consulate in Moscow for the second day.

RIA-Novosti news agency quoted an embassy spokesman as saying the consulate had stopped operations ''until proper security is provided for the mission''.

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has called on Russian companies to boycott Estonian goods. Local news agencies later said three major Moscow grocery chains -- Seventh Continent, Kopeika and Samokhval -- had withdrawn Estonian goods from their shelves.

Estonians tend to view the monument as a reminder of 50 years of Soviet occupation. The government also says it shows greater respect to the soldiers buried in the city centre spot to move them to a military cemetery.

Estonia said official Web sites had come under cyber attack and restricted access to them from outside the country.

REUTERS SM PM1930