About two thousand people assembled for a second protest rally against the Nemunas Dawn party, whose leader is facing charges of anti-Semitism, being included in the government.
The first protest, which was sparked by the Social Democrats inviting Remigijus Žemaitaitis’ party into the coalition, was held last Thursday in front of the parliament building.
“I don’t have any hopes for big changes, but maybe the coalition agreement will change in one way or another, or the Social Democrats themselves will make appropriate decisions,” Aistė, a 35-year-old IT worker taking part in the rally, told BNS. “But I think it is more important to put pressure on the coalition to support and show opposition to this decision.”
The woman, who gave her first name only, said she came to protest because the ruling coalition with the Nemunas Dawn falls short of the “dignity principles” politicians should meet.
“I think that in a democracy, it is important to show that we are dissatisfied, that some of us are dissatisfied, even those who voted for the people in power,” said the protester.
Kristijonas, a 23-year-old customer service agent, who also did not give his last name, told BNS that anti-Semitism in the ruling coalition was “very unsavoury”.
“We may not achieve much, but it would have to be a long and continuous effort to get something more moving. Maybe not every week there should be protests, but every week there should be a conversation and not, as is the case with many things, we talk for two or three weeks and forget about it,” the man said.
Gintautas Paluckas, who was appointed prime minister on Thursday, promised to address the protesters and was present at the rally. He failed to meet the protesters last Thursday.
“When it comes to democracy, we need to keep a few things in mind. In a democracy, every vote counts, but decisions are made by the majority, after hearing the opinions and positions of all,” Paluckas said.
“Therefore, today, while respecting the arguments and the position you have set out, I would like to ask you not to lose hope. That the new coalition and the new government will be able to meet your concerns about state security, about national defence, about the provision of public services,” he continued.
The new ruling coalition is led by the Social Democrats and includes the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” and the Nemunas Dawn party.
The latter’s invitation to join the government has drawn criticism in Lithuania and abroad because Žemaitaitis is on trial for anti-Semitic posts on social media.
Further reading
Earlier this year, the Constitutional Court considered these posts and ruled that Žemaitaitis grossly violated the constitution. Žemaitaitis then resigned from the parliament in order to avoid being impeached.
Žemaitaitis has rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, insisting that his social media posts were criticising Israel, not expressing hatred against the Jewish people.
He has insisted that his political opponents exploited his statements for political gain during this year’s campaigns.
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