Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said on Friday the city opposes a planned visit by Polish politician Grzegorz Braun and other members of the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown party.
"This figure's party wants to hold an event in Vilnius. There is a possibility that Braun himself plans to participate. I have a simple question – if you do not like our Europe and our value system, why do you want to use it so much, travel freely to another country and have a platform here to spread your poison? What have you lost in Vilnius?" Benkunskas wrote on Facebook.
He said the municipality would formally notify the organisers and the state bodies responsible for public order and security of its opposition to the event.
Lithuania's State Security Department said it had no information pointing to a direct threat, but noted that the activities of the politicians in question could pose risks to public order and be incompatible with national security interests. The assessment has been passed to the Foreign Ministry, Vilnius municipality and law enforcement agencies.
Braun is seeking a permit from the capital's municipality for a public gathering. A venue had previously been booked at the Vilnius Culture and Spirituality Centre, but the reservation was cancelled once the organisers' identities became known.
Braun's party – the Confederation of the Polish Crown, is a hard-right nationalist party in Poland. He has a record of inflammatory public acts, including extinguishing Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament in 2023 and making antisemitic statements, for which he was fined and briefly suspended from the Polish parliament. He has also been a vocal critic of Polish support for Ukraine and of LGBT rights.
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