VIDEO: Estonians engage in a mass brawl over the quality of old VW Passats

Last Friday, around 9 pm, a group of young people from the Estonian town of Põlva gathered near the apartment buildings on Piiri Street, along with some visitors from other town - Võru. According to local residents, tensions escalated because they had differing opinions about whether the Volkswagen Passat was still a respectable car.

Those who were watching from nearby apartment windows said that the were smaller fights but situation didn't escalate into a total violence, as there was a hero who went alone to break up a fight involving at least hundred men.

Soon after, patrol police, rapid responders, and a dog patrol arrived at the scene. According to Taisto Paju, the group leader of the Southeast Police Department, the individuals involved explained that the conflict between the residents of Võru and Põlva originated on the social media app Snapchat, where they were urged to gather and settle their differences. The confrontation began on a basketball court. A woman living nearby mentioned that one of her neighbors stepped in between the young men and tried to defuse the situation.

"They didn't disperse, but they did threaten the neighbor, who had served in the special forces when he was younger and knows martial arts. Things could have ended much worse; just last week, there was a stabbing incident in Põlva. Unfortunately, drugs have also made their way into small towns," she said to Estonian newspaper Õhtuleht.
She believes that many young people have reasons to be depressed but instead of fighting, they should read books and engage in sports.

Evi, who was working in her garden near the incident, isn't too concerned about the gathering of young men. "I guess it was the same in my youth; boys had to prove themselves. Some climbed trees, and some got into fights. Parties were like that; if you didn't dance, you fought," she recalled. However, the 92-year-old lady added that back in her time, fights were over girls, not cars.

Vana Passati au pärast. Päriselt? pic.twitter.com/Qg9eqxJzQd

— Nelli Teataja (@NelliTeataja) October 6, 2023