Estonia marks flag-raising: freedom must be renewed every day

On the morning of August 20, Estonia's blue-black-white flag was raised over the Tall Hermann tower in Tallinn, a tradition marking the moment the country regained its dignity and freedom. At a ceremony held in the Governor's Garden, Ants Veetõusme, president of the Club of August 20, addressed the gathering.

In his speech, Veetõusme recalled that more than 30 years ago, displaying the blue-black-white flag at public events was an act of courage and an expression of hidden hopes, affirming the conviction that the time had come to become masters of one's own land and state. He noted that earlier generations carried the flag through occupation, deportations and prison camps, preserving it in the belief that Estonia would one day truly become free again.

A responsibility for the new generation

Addressing those present, Veetõusme observed that today's audience is a generation born in a free Estonia, for whom the flag has always been visible, permitted and a source of pride. He said this familiarity sometimes makes it harder for this generation to fully grasp the flag's meaning and symbolism.

Veetõusme stressed that along with the flag, the nation regained its dignity, and that young people who grew up in an independent Estonia are now being handed the torch. This, he said, places on them the responsibility to safeguard Estonia so that the flag never again has to be hidden. Freedom, he added, is not something to be taken for granted — it is reborn every day through people's actions, choices, and care for themselves, their loved ones, their community and their state. He concluded that it falls to this generation to lead Estonia forward in the coming decades, wisely and boldly facing the future, since protecting the flag means protecting Estonia, and protecting Estonia means protecting one another.