{"id":985,"date":"2025-10-07T18:07:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/?p=985"},"modified":"2025-10-07T18:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:06:15","slug":"protests-in-lithuania-all-united-for-a-free-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2025\/10\/07\/protests-in-lithuania-all-united-for-a-free-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"PROTESTS IN LITHUANIA, ALL UNITED FOR A FREE CULTURE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Thousands of people<\/strong> (young and old, families with children, ordinary citizens, and the entire cultural community of Lithuania) joined the <strong>October 5th rally organized to protest<\/strong> the decisions of the new government. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kulturosasambleja.lt\/information-in-english\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">This protest movement, born just a few days ago<\/a><\/strong>, brought together the entire community, museums, and cultural institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The notes of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3kGTf5yXW1g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">M.K. \u010ciurlionis&#8217;s symphony &#8220;The Sea&#8221;<\/a><\/strong> <strong>were playing at 2:00pm all over Lithuania<\/strong>: from Klaip\u0117da to Vilnius, from Kaunas to Mariampol\u0117, to \u0160iauliai, in the cities and villages as well. The symphony by the renowned Lithuanian composer, whose <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ciurlionis.lt\/activity\/branches\/m-k-ciurlionis-national-museum-of-art\/exhibitions\/nuo-gintaru-iki-zvaigzdziu-m-k-ciurlionis-amzininkai-ir-bendraminciai-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">150th birthday this year marks<\/a><\/strong>, became <strong>the soundtrack to the Lithuanian protest<\/strong> against the awarding of the Ministry of Culture to the populist, pro-Russia, homophobic, and anti-Semitic party, Nemunas Au\u0161ra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In our report we have collected some interviews with participants in the Kaunas rally.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WATCH OUR NEWS STORY FROM KAUNAS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Together For a Free Culture, Protests in Lithuania - News Story\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j3VhHQwKsgI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On October 5, <strong>more than 300 events took place in 81 Lithuanian cities and villages.<\/strong> The Lithuanian diaspora abroad, spread across 22 countries, also took part in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-986\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WHAT HAPPENED \u2013 BEHIND THE STORY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the summer, <strong>Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned following a corruption investigation<\/strong>. The government, installed after elections held last fall, also resigned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The crisis prompted consultations and the formation of a new coalition. <strong>Two parties remained from the previous coalition:<\/strong> the Social Democratic Party, which won the elections, and <strong>Nemunas Au\u0161ra, whose leader and statements had already sparked widespread protests for his often pro-Russia, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-Semitic stances.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The new coalition, which began work on September 25<\/strong>, is made up of three parties: the Social Democrats, Nemunas Au\u0161ra, and the Union of Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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, <strong>expressed his dissent over the appointment of the Ministry of Energy to a member of Nemunas Au\u0161ra,<\/strong> as that ministry is strategic for the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the previous coalition, <strong>the President had already set some conditions. No member of Nemunas Au\u0161ra was to become a minister,<\/strong> regardless of the type of ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, prioritizing issues such as the budget discussion and vote by mid-October, t<strong>he President took a more flexible position.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x777.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x777.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-768x583.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-640x486.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>On the right, Jonas Markauskas. He was born on the Trofimorsk island, Siberia, where his family was deported by the Soviets. He, his wife Gra\u017eina (on the left), his daughter and other relatives tokk part in the rally.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Many citizens were displeased,<\/strong> especially when the decision was made to appoint Nemunas Au\u0161ra member Ignotas Adomavi\u010dius as Minister of Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Lithuanian cultural community and many citizens protested<\/strong> the appointment of a person deemed unqualified, lacking any experience in the cultural field, and <strong>belonging to a party that does not share the same values \u200b\u200bas the cultural sector and Lithuanian society as a whole.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Prime Minister Ruginien\u0117 (Social Democratic Party) and President Gitanas Naus\u0117da <strong>are accused of selling the ministry to a staunchly anti-state, pro-Russia, and anti-Semitic party<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its leader, <strong>Remigijus \u017demaitaitis<\/strong>, is under investigation for anti-Semitic and hateful statements against specific ethnic groups. <strong>He has repeatedly expressed opposition to support for Ukraine<\/strong>. Last January, invited by the then-President of the Seimas to visit Ukraine to understand the situation in the embattled country, \u017demaitaitis responded: <em>&#8220;As for visiting Ukraine, it\u2019s a great suggestion from the speaker. I can visit Ukraine, but I\u2019ve no reason to go there. Unless one wants to master the skill of bribe-taking, corruption, armaments selling, selling out the state\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-988\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4-Kaunas-Rally-October-5-LithuanianStories.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">THE NEW MINISTER RESIGNS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just a week after the new Minister of Culture took office, <strong>Ignotas Adomavi\u010dius resigned<\/strong> after making statements that were seen by cultural figures and political scientists as <strong>confirming his inability to carry out the job entrusted to him.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>He also refused to answer a journalist&#8217;s question<\/strong> about Lithuania&#8217;s support for Ukraine and the status of Crimea. A post was also discovered in which <strong>he stated that defense spending should not exceed 2%&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lithuania is currently implementing a significant defense spending increase<\/strong> to counter increasingly aggressive threats from the Russian Federation, with which it shares several kilometers of borders. This includes Belarus, a Kremlin ally, and <strong>the exclave of Kaliningrad, which is effectively a huge Russian military base with nuclear weapons.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The minister&#8217;s resignation has not calmed tensions.<\/strong> The protest movement argued that <strong>the problem <\/strong>lies not only in the eventual appointee, but also in <strong>the appointment of the ministry to an anti-state party <\/strong>working against Lithuania&#8217;s interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nemunas Au\u0161ra has been called a &#8220;Trojan Horse&#8221;<\/strong> that has entered the political game to destroy the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The opposition parties, united, appealed to President Naus\u0117da<\/strong>, urging him <em>&#8220;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 Au\u0161ra party and to try to entrust this ministry to another political party in the governing majority.&#8221; They also said they were ready &#8220;to support a minority government if the coalition were formed without Nemunas Au\u0161ra\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">THE PROTESTS WILL CONTINUE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After the October 5th protests, which <strong>involved citizens from across the country and 250 cultural organizations<\/strong>, the cultural movement is also <strong>engaging with other sectors<\/strong> from which it has received support: the education and scientific community, journalists, farmers, environmentalists, doctors, and businessmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A new assembly has been announced<\/strong>, which will also include representatives from outside the cultural field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2025\/03\/12\/thirty-five-years-of-freedom-for-lithuania\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">After thirty-five years of independence<\/a><\/strong>, Lithuania<strong> is facing a new decisive battle against anti-state forces<\/strong> seeking to destroy the foundations of the country born <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2023\/11\/09\/zemaitis-and-the-resistance-vaisvilaite-it-was-also-a-moral-struggle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">after the Soviet occupation<\/a><\/strong>. Representatives of the cultural sector <strong>fear the same fate as Slovakia and Hungary.<\/strong> The president of the Georgian PEN declared: &#8220;Be careful, everything started exactly the same way with us\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The October 5th protests are just the beginning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WATCH OUR NEWS STORY FROM KAUNAS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Together For a Free Culture, Protests in Lithuania - News Story\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j3VhHQwKsgI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,1],"tags":[220,218,84,44,13,221,217,219,216,222],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=985"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":991,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985\/revisions\/991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}