Israelis were here

O tempora, o mores... Or perhaps I should write instead o tempora, o "problems". After 16 years of silence, a tiny debate in Helsinki is brewing over these:

Iltasanomat.fi

Yes, can't you see, a major disaster! Someone call the President! We're talking about a posh neighborhood called Kruununhaka in the proximity of downtown Helsinki. The Embassy of Israel used to be located at this particular street corner and back in 1996 built these iron poles to prevent car bombs from being parked next to the diplomatic building.

I'm guessing now someone lost their nerve as this year, yet again, it has been very snowy in Helsinki and the streets in the center are difficult to clear from the snow to begin with. These green poles don't make the job any easier, I guess. Some think that they fit a modern city very well, preventing idiots with regular cars from parking in places they shouldn't park. And - you could consider them a piece of Helsinki's modern history.

Stay tuned for more news on this major problem the citizens of Helsinki have: will the Israel embassy have to pay for removing / painting the poles - or will they be left as is? To be continued... but not here.

(Original article and pictures are here at IltaSanomat)