Estonian advert ‘set the Russians alight’: meat producer finds itself at the centre of a scandal
One of Estonia’s largest meat producers, Rannarootsi Lihatööstus, published an advert on its Facebook page which some interpreted as a reference to Russians being ‘grilled’.
According to the publication “European Truth”, this was reported by ERR.
The image shows two men with Ukrainian flags on their T-shirt sleeves grilling meat against a backdrop of rising plumes of smoke, which closely resemble the aftermath of military strikes. The product advert is accompanied by a slogan in Estonian: “Õige grill muudab kibeda sibula magusaks” (“The right barbecue makes bitter onions sweet”).
Some social media users saw the post as an allusion to Russia’s war against Ukraine and as hate speech. The word ‘sibul’ (‘onion’) sparked the most controversy, as in certain colloquial contexts it can be used as a derogatory nickname for Russian-speaking residents of Estonia.
Karmo Axel, Executive Director and board member of Rannarootsi Lihatööstus, stated that the company had not intended any political subtext in the advert. “This is directly related to our product and its ingredient – caramelised onions. The text refers specifically to this product,” said Axel.
When asked whether the company was aware of the alternative meaning of the word ‘sibul’, the director said he only found out about it after the advert had been published. The visual elements of the advert also raised some questions, in particular the plumes of smoke in the background and the Ukrainian flags. According to Axel, this imagery was inspired by the current news agenda.
It should be noted that in May, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it intended to file a complaint against the Baltic states with the International Court of Justice over the alleged oppression of ethnic Russians. In response, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that these statements were intended to divert attention from Russia’s own actions, in particular its attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.
