A Belarusian souvenir shop was vandalised in central Vilnius over the last weekend in an apparently xenophobic attack.
Red paint was used to spray “Go home Belarusian pigs” on the shop’s wall, the office of the Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Lithuanian police have confirmed.
The office has sent photos to local media outlets, showing that the windows of the Kropka shop on Savičiaus Street were also smashed.
“There was a report at about 10:00 [on Sunday – BNS] that the windows of a shop on Savičiaus Street had been broken overnight and the walls sprayed with red paint,” Tomas Brazėnas of Vilnius police told BNS Monday.
In his words, the damage has been estimated at around 1,000 euros or more.
The police launched an investigation into the destruction or damage to property.
Tsikhanouskaya’s office said the Kropka shop is owned by Dmitry Furmanov, a former Belarusian political prisoner living in Lithuania.
“I am sure that there is no place for xenophobia in any of its manifestations in Belarusian and Lithuanian society. I would like to express words of support to Dmitry Furmanov and the entire team of the Kropka space,” Tsikhanouskaya was quoted in the statement.
She said the attack was an attempt to incite strife between Belarusians and Lithuanians and vowed to visit the shop with Lithuanian politicians on Tuesday to express solidarity.
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