About 100 people gathered in Vilnius’ Cathedral Square on Thursday evening for a rally against antisemitism. The rally also featured Israeli flags, with the organiser accusing the media of what he saw as unbalanced coverage of Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza.
The rally, titled “No to Antisemitism!”, was opened by organizer and activist Arkadijus Vinokuras, who argued that expressions of antisemitism were “breaking records” across Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
“We must do everything we can to make sure that not everyone in Lithuania catches the disease of antisemitism,” Vinokuras said. “We are being nailed to the wall as if we were the scapegoats of the world. Since the re-establishment of the State of Israel, we no longer wish to be scapegoats. The disease of antisemitism turns decent people into monsters.”
Vinokuras has also been organising weekly rallies in support of Ukraine and has been defending Israel in his regular columns and media appearances, accusing its critics of antisemitism.
At Thursday’s rally, he criticised parts of the Lithuanian media, accusing outlets such as LRT, Delfi and 15min of fuelling hatred toward Jews under the guise of balanced reporting on Israel.
“For two years, they have played one-sidedly against Israel, as if the other side never existed,” he said.
The rally drew several foreign ambassadors, and about 50 Israeli flags were displayed in the square alongside placards reading, “Lithuanian Jews are part of Lithuania”, and “Vilnius – Jerushalaim de Lita. No to hatred, no to antisemitism”.
The rally follows a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas. It also comes in he wake of a controversy caused by parliament member Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, who accused his political opponent of organising a coup while speculating, wrongly, about his Jewish heritage. The statements were widely condemned as antisemitic.
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