The Lithuanian Jewish Community issued a press release denouncing the rise in antisemitic hate crimes in the country.
“Unpunished vandals continue to target spaces belonging to the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak)
Community — last week, for the second time, perpetrators smashed the window of the
Community’s Bagel shop (Beigelių krautuvėlė).
Security camera footage clearly shows that this was not an accident, but a deliberate act aimed at one of the most frequently visited spaces of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community. Unfortunately, Lithuanian police are unable to recognize crimes that exhibit signs of antisemitism and instead assess incidents solely on the basis of material damage. Yes, a few dozen or even a few hundred euros may
not seem like a large sum — but violence motivated by ethnic hatred is a hate crime,
punishable by imprisonment.
We emphasize that this is not the first clearly antisemitic incident: the Israeli flag was stolen
and desecrated from the premises of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community; glass near
the children’s club in the Community’s building was smashed; the Vilnius Choral Synagogue
was vandalized; the Šiauliai Jewish Community has been attacked multiple times and our
Bagel Shop has repeatedly become a target for antisemites. Regrettably, in none of these
cases did the Lithuanian police or prosecution take meaningful action to identify and punish
the perpetrators. This sends a dangerous message to malicious actors: that they may spread
hatred and endanger members of the community without consequence.
“Have you been affected by hate speech or a hate crime? Report it!” — such posters hang in
police station offices, yet clear indicators of hate crimes are simply ignored.
We understand that initiating a pre-trial investigation does not guarantee that perpetrators will
be convicted. However, without any action at all, the situation is guaranteed not to change.
The state must take concrete measures to combat antisemitism. Therefore, the Lithuanian
Jewish (Litvak) Community has submitted an appeal to the Office of the Prosecutor General
of the Republic of Lithuania, demanding that the antisemitic context of these attacks be
acknowledged and that a pre-trial investigation into hate crimes be launched.”
