US EditionLithuanian court convicts the leader of a governing party of inciting hatred against Jews
Remigijus Žemaitaitis was fined €5,000 for inciting hatred against Jews and minimizing the Holocaust, with the court ruling his language violated human dignity and exceeded free speech limits.
- On Thursday, Vilnius district court convicted Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, of inciting hatred and fined him $5,835, Judge Nida Vigelienė announced.
- The case stems from social media posts in May–June 2024 that included quoting an antisemitic nursery rhyme and wartime comments, with the court concluding these could not be justified by constitutional freedom of expression.
- The court said the posts met Article 170 criteria for mockery, humiliation and incitement of hatred, and the panel found he falsely accused Jews of killing Lithuanians and blamed them for village massacres.
- The defendant must pay the fine within two months and the case can be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal within 20 days, prosecutor Justas Laucius sought a larger penalty.
- The Constitutional Court had previously ruled in April 2023 that he breached his oath and constitution, while Parliament launched impeachment proceedings and the Social Democrats called antisemitism unacceptable.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Lithuanian government party leader convicted of inciting hatred towards Jews
The leader of a Lithuanian party in the ruling coalition government was convicted on Thursday for inciting hatred towards Jews and grossly minimizing the Holocaust in a series of public statements and social media posts in 2023. Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the head of the populist Nemuno Aušra party, was fined 5,000 euros, or $5,835, by the Vilnius Regional Court. In her decision, Judge Nida Vigelienė said that Žemaitaitis had “publicly mocked, demea…
The leader of Lithuania's populist ruling party Nemuno Aušra Remigija Žemaitaitis was found guilty of inciting hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust by a court on Thursday. The trial concerned the politician's social media posts from 2023. According to the court, Žemaitaitis must pay a fine of five thousand euros (120.8 thousand crowns) for accusing Jews of historical crimes, inciting hostility towards them and spreading negative ster…
Associated Press News
Lithuanian court convicts the leader of a governing party of inciting hatred against Jews
A Lithuanian court has convicted the leader of one of the parties in the country’s coalition government for making antisemitic comments and fined him 5,000 euros or about $5,800.
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