Thousands of people (young and old, families with children, ordinary citizens, and the entire cultural community of Lithuania) joined the October 5th rally organized to protest the decisions of the new government. This protest movement, born just a few days ago, brought together the entire community, museums, and cultural institutions.
The notes of M.K. Čiurlionis’s symphony “The Sea” were playing at 2:00pm all over Lithuania: from Klaipėda to Vilnius, from Kaunas to Mariampolė, to Šiauliai, in the cities and villages as well. The symphony by the renowned Lithuanian composer, whose 150th birthday this year marks, became the soundtrack to the Lithuanian protest against the awarding of the Ministry of Culture to the populist, pro-Russia, homophobic, and anti-Semitic party, Nemunas Aušra.
In our report we have collected some interviews with participants in the Kaunas rally.
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On October 5, more than 300 events took place in 81 Lithuanian cities and villages. The Lithuanian diaspora abroad, spread across 22 countries, also took part in.
WHAT HAPPENED – BEHIND THE STORY
Over the summer, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned following a corruption investigation. The government, installed after elections held last fall, also resigned.
The crisis prompted consultations and the formation of a new coalition. Two parties remained from the previous coalition: the Social Democratic Party, which won the elections, and Nemunas Aušra, whose leader and statements had already sparked widespread protests for his often pro-Russia, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-Semitic stances.
The new coalition, which began work on September 25, is made up of three parties: the Social Democrats, Nemunas Aušra, and the Union of Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families.
It was not easy to reach an agreement between the three factions, and the President of the Republic, who has a say in the formation of governments in Lithuania, expressed his dissent over the appointment of the Ministry of Energy to a member of Nemunas Aušra, as that ministry is strategic for the state.
In the previous coalition, the President had already set some conditions. No member of Nemunas Aušra was to become a minister, regardless of the type of ministry.
This time, prioritizing issues such as the budget discussion and vote by mid-October, the President took a more flexible position.
Many citizens were displeased, especially when the decision was made to appoint Nemunas Aušra member Ignotas Adomavičius as Minister of Culture.
The Lithuanian cultural community and many citizens protested the appointment of a person deemed unqualified, lacking any experience in the cultural field, and belonging to a party that does not share the same values as the cultural sector and Lithuanian society as a whole.
New Prime Minister Ruginienė (Social Democratic Party) and President Gitanas Nausėda are accused of selling the ministry to a staunchly anti-state, pro-Russia, and anti-Semitic party.
Its leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, is under investigation for anti-Semitic and hateful statements against specific ethnic groups. He has repeatedly expressed opposition to support for Ukraine. Last January, invited by the then-President of the Seimas to visit Ukraine to understand the situation in the embattled country, Žemaitaitis responded: “As for visiting Ukraine, it’s a great suggestion from the speaker. I can visit Ukraine, but I’ve no reason to go there. Unless one wants to master the skill of bribe-taking, corruption, armaments selling, selling out the state”.
THE NEW MINISTER RESIGNS
Just a week after the new Minister of Culture took office, Ignotas Adomavičius resigned after making statements that were seen by cultural figures and political scientists as confirming his inability to carry out the job entrusted to him.
He also refused to answer a journalist’s question about Lithuania’s support for Ukraine and the status of Crimea. A post was also discovered in which he stated that defense spending should not exceed 2%…
Lithuania is currently implementing a significant defense spending increase to counter increasingly aggressive threats from the Russian Federation, with which it shares several kilometers of borders. This includes Belarus, a Kremlin ally, and the exclave of Kaliningrad, which is effectively a huge Russian military base with nuclear weapons.
The minister’s resignation has not calmed tensions. The protest movement argued that the problem lies not only in the eventual appointee, but also in the appointment of the ministry to an anti-state party working against Lithuania’s interests.
Nemunas Aušra has been called a “Trojan Horse” that has entered the political game to destroy the state.
The opposition parties, united, appealed to President Nausėda, urging him “to use the powers of the governing coalition and make it clear that the Ministry of Culture is too sensitive and important to be left to the populist, destructive, and tumultuous Nemunas Aušra party and to try to entrust this ministry to another political party in the governing majority.” They also said they were ready “to support a minority government if the coalition were formed without Nemunas Aušra”.
THE PROTESTS WILL CONTINUE
After the October 5th protests, which involved citizens from across the country and 250 cultural organizations, the cultural movement is also engaging with other sectors from which it has received support: the education and scientific community, journalists, farmers, environmentalists, doctors, and businessmen.
A new assembly has been announced, which will also include representatives from outside the cultural field.
After thirty-five years of independence, Lithuania is facing a new decisive battle against anti-state forces seeking to destroy the foundations of the country born after the Soviet occupation. Representatives of the cultural sector fear the same fate as Slovakia and Hungary. The president of the Georgian PEN declared: “Be careful, everything started exactly the same way with us”:
The October 5th protests are just the beginning.