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“I sincerely apologize that my words, while perhaps too rude or used with insufficient caution, but taken out of context, have caused misunderstandings, pain and agitation,” Uspaskich wrote in a letter to BNS.
Addressing his colleagues in the Renew Europe group, Mr Uspaskich promised to “make his speeches more carefully” in the future.
In a two-page letter in English, V. Uspaskich said that in Lithuania he often receives unwarranted attacks and insults from political opponents because of his Russian origin and suffers from Russophobic moods. He said the outrageous comments were directed only at those who insulted him and not the entire LGBT community.
Threatened with being expelled from the faction.
Uspaskich’s apology and explanation for his homophobic comments was demanded a few days ago by the leader of the Liberal Group in the European Parliament, and some of his fellow group members called for his removal from the political group.
In a letter to Uspaskich, the president of the Renew Europe group, Romanian politician Dacian Ciolos, claimed that the content of the video he had posted was completely unacceptable, hateful and clearly homophobic.
“I will give you the opportunity to explain your behavior, but I must demand that you withdraw these intolerable homophobic comments and apologize both to the public and to your colleagues from the Renew Europe group for the pain you have caused,” Ciolos wrote in a letter to BNS. .
The faction leader said an apology and explanation was expected by noon Thursday. According to Ciolos, V. Uspaskich’s explanation will be evaluated by the members of the group next Monday, January 18.
In this way, the leader of the group responded to the live video of V. Uspaskich broadcast on Facebook last Sunday, where he despised LGBT people, calling them “pedic” and “perverts.”
“Today, in some European countries, it is even dangerous to say that you are a representative of the natural orientation. I don’t want my conversations, the program, to be commented on by pediatricians of all kinds, because it is not a program for them anyway. I mean pedicures, perverts, those for whom fate, life thus gave them, it is not their fault, that there is some kind of longing that a man feels in his clothes as a woman. Most of these people do not advertise, but those who put the granite under their skirts and go out on the street, they scream, they are pediatricians, perverts and those things should not be tolerated ”, said V. Uspaskich during the broadcast on Sunday .
V. Uspaskich: I sincerely regret it
In a letter on Wednesday, Uspaskich said his comments were directed only at the people who insulted him, but not at the entire LGBT community.
“The harsh reply you saw on my Facebook account was only for the people who offended me, not for someone else,” he assured her.
V. Uspaskich argued that an extract from his speech might give a false impression because his intonation was not clear.
“In this context, I am not talking about gays, lesbians or other people in the LGBT community. I specifically pointed out that I am not referring to people who are naturally given a different orientation, but to those who yell loudly and live a perverted life. My speech should be heard in a live conversation, not as a transcript. By writing, you can express your thoughts correctly, even if you have no knowledge of the language, you can always correct yourself. At that time, there may be errors and inaccurate sentences in a live speech, but the most important thing is that a lot can be said in Lithuanian with the help of intonation and non-verbal communication, which would not be reflected in the transcription ”, said V. Uspaskich.
“Actually, I am not a specialist in this terminology; perhaps the word used was not quite precise and too rude. “I sincerely regret that the information was provided to you, my group colleagues and the media in such a biased way that it hurt me personally and also hurt our European group and party,” Uspaskich said.
Critics lack sincerity
Aušra Maldeikienė, a member of the European People’s Party, drew the attention of European liberals to V. Uspaskich’s speeches on social media, and Ieva Pakarklytė, leader of the Lithuanian Seimas Freedom Faction, addressed the leaders of the faction of the European Parliament.
In evaluating the letter, I. Pakarklytė said that the response to it “sounds like an excuse for a first grader at school, obviously false.”
“Unfortunately, it seems that Mr Uspaskich does not feel that he has made a mistake that has hurt a lot of people. The MEP does not seem to realize that such a speech is in line with the values of the European Parliament and the group to which he belongs, but also with common human principles in general. This “letter of apology” seeks blame and appeals to the situation of national minorities in Lithuania, trying to steer the conversation to a completely different topic that has nothing to do with this case. I am very sorry that Mr. Viktor does not understand his mistake, “he told BNS.
V. Uspaskich has recently been criticized in Lithuania for making false statements that mineral water can cure the coronavirus. The State Food and Veterinary Service is investigating these statements.
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