Eesti Leegioni Sõprade Klubi (ELSK) wanted to restore a memorial in Lihula that allegedly bears Nazi German symbolism. The Police and Border Guard Board asked the Centre for Semiotic Applications for an expert assessment of the meanings of the memorial: what symbolism it is, where and how these symbols have been used historically, and whether the symbols in question may pose a threat to public order and security.

The semiotic analysis of the memorial first looked at the cultural and historical context of the symbols, which in the case of Estonia differs significantly from the corresponding contexts in many other countries. The expert opinion also pointed out that the symbols associated with Nazi Germany have different weights, i.e. some of them are more inciting to violence than others. However, the creators of the Lihula monument have consciously avoided strong symbols inciting aggression (such as the Totenkopf or the swastika) and instead used symbols that are associated with the fight for Estonian independence. The Centre for Semiotic Applications found that the memorial does not incite to violation of public order. At the same time, this expert opinion also offered advice on the strategic design of information to help reduce the emergence of conflicting interpretations in case of such a memorial.

You can read the full text of this semiotic expertise HERE (in Estonian).