Vilnius will host a rally to express solidarity and support for protesters in Hong Kong.
The rally to be held in Cathedral Square at 15:00 is part of a programme of events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, a peaceful anti-Soviet protest in 1989 that pressed the Baltic states' demands for independence.
The support rally also coincides with a planned ‘Hong Kong Way’, a pro-democracy action in the island city inspired by the Baltic Way.
“At the time when Lithuania is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, people in Hong Kong are fighting to preserve democracy,” Mantas Adomėnas, a conservative MP and one of the organisers of the event, says in a press release.
“The mass protests that have been going on for two months and attracted up to two million people, draw inspiration from the Baltic Way as an example of how freedom-loving people can refuse to give in, to withstand and win against a brutal totalitarian power,” he continued.
“Our support is precious and important to them, just like support from the people in the free world, even if it was symbolic, was important for us in 1989,” says another organiser, Rimas Šapauskas.
Organisers will broadcast a live message to the protesters in Hong Kong. Lithuanian politicians, visiting members of the US Congress and German MEPs are also due to join the rally,
Read more: Hong Kong opposition activist: 'We draw inspiration from Baltic Way'
Read more: The Baltic Way to independence: 30 years since the landmark human-chain protest
