 The signatories also expressed their unease against Republic-level government in harshly dealing with youth protests in Tallinn that were sparked a week earlier due to the banning of a public performance of the punk rock band Propeller.Following Estonia's regaining independence from the Soviet Union, Rätsep became a member of the conservative Isamaa party, and served on the Tallinn City Central Council.From 1975 until 1981, Rätsep was a lecturer at the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute, and from 1995 until 2004 he was a lecturer at the Estonian Institute of Humanities.