US Senate condemns coalition talks with ‘anti-semitic’ party in Lithuania

On Friday, Ben Cardin, chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, condemned the decision of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party to invite the Nemunas Dawn (Nemuno Aušra) party into the governing coalition because of the anti-Semitic statements made by its leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis.

“Lithuania is a close ally of the United States and a vital partner in promoting democratic values. However, the Social Democrats’ decision to enter a coalition with the Nemunas Party – a party whose leader has been indicted for inciting violence and hatred against Jews – undermines the core values that unite our nations,” read a statement by Cardin, published on the Senate committee’s website on Friday.

“At a time when antisemitism is on the rise around the world, giving a platform to antisemitic rhetoric and acts of hate is not just a betrayal of shared democratic ideals, but a physical threat to the safety of Jewish and minority communities,” it added.

According to the politician, Lithuania must defend the rights and dignity of all its citizens, including the Jewish community, and hateful words and actions must have consequences.

Before the October parliamentary elections, Social Democrats’ leader Vilija Blinkevičiūtė said that the party was not going to work in a coalition with Nemunas Dawn because of the anti-Semitic statements of its leader Žemaitaitis.

The Constitutional Court has found Žemaitaitis to have broken his oath and to have grossly violated the constitution because of these statements. In addition, the court is hearing a criminal case in which the politician is accused of public mockery, contempt of a group of people, and incitement to hatred against the Jewish people.

The Council of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) will make a final decision on the composition of the future governing coalition on Saturday.

The LSDP has invited the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” and Nemunas Dawm to form the ruling coalition. Such a coalition would have at least 86 seats out of 141 in the next parliament.