Thousands of supporters of Estonia’s far-right EKRE party held a torchlight march to mark independence day in Tallinn as the once marginal party is set to make big gains in the upcoming general election.
Party chairman Mart Helme told the crowd that Estonians refuse to “die out” and want more autonomy in the EU, reflecting the EKRE’s eurosceptic stance.
Other protesters held a counter-rally under the slogan “Sparkle and don’t be a Nazi,” but there were no incidents, according to police.
While EKRE won only seven of the 101 seats in parliament in the 2015 general election, opinion polls show it is set to capture around 21 percent of the vote next Sunday.
The result puts it narrowly behind the opposition liberal Reform Party and the governing centrist Centre Party, which took office in November 2016.
