The speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, Juozas Olyakas, says that the slogan 'Lithuania for Lithuanians' and similar statements insulting other nations are on the verge of a crime. The statement followed an incident involving the hanging of a poster during the March 11 celebrations in Vilnius.
"I believe that such statements are on the verge of a crime. It is an insult to other nations who live here and, in my opinion, have significantly enriched and refreshed the gene pool of Lithuania," said the parliament chair during a broadcast on Ziniu radijas on Wednesday.
According to Olyakas, this slogan is unacceptable and offends Karaites, Jews, and representatives of other nationalities with a long history of living in Lithuania.
"I often joke that when guests arrive, one of the national dishes in Lithuania is kibinai. But this dish belongs to the Karaites, who have integrated well and live here. Should we now say that there is no place for Karaites in Lithuania?" he added.
Discussions around the slogan resumed after Konstantinas Andrijauskas, an associate professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, tore down the 'Lithuania for Lithuanians' poster from a bridge in Vilnius on March 11, leading to a conflict with those who had hung the banner.
The Vilnius County Police launched a pre-trial investigation last week into a possible violation of public order.
Andrijauskas himself confirmed on the social network Facebook that he removed the poster from the viaduct on Churlionio Street, but rejected accusations of using obscene language, damaging property, or applying violence against the poster's owner.
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