Šimonytė says he would have given permission for both the LGBT event in Kaunas and the Family March in Vilnius

The police have already reported that they have launched several investigations into various violations. I. Šimonytė said that although he did not have time to speak to protesters on Wednesday, he was not afraid to speak out. However, the Prime Minister also recalled his colleague Matas Maldeikis’s attempt to speak.

“The family march, called, was addressed to me by letter in mid-May, and I responded as a polite person. I really had a very stressful day yesterday and I didn’t have time for those conversations, but I’m not afraid of people, I can go out and talk to anyone. So much so that there is a bit of hypocrisy here. As is often said: go out and talk, I would like to refer to Mr. Maldeikis’s attempt to speak. And if after that people still want to say that someone is not speaking to them, I mean those specific people here, not those in general who have a different opinion.

But those people who have met before the Seimas or the Government. It is very difficult to say afterwards that no one speaks to you when you send a person who comes as a speaker to speak far, far away, in three letters, ”said I. Šimonyt dijo on news radio on Thursday.

“Such behavior would show me more that it is simply a start of political activity. I think that this, one way or another, will lead to political ambitions to come to power, which is normal,” he said.

“I think it is the duty of politicians, at least of those who value Lithuania as part of Western democracy and would like it to remain so, to reduce these tensions. But that there will always be people in society, whether internally or externally interested in increase that tension, we must also see that ”, said the Prime Minister.

When asked if he would have given permission for the “Family March” rally in Vilnius and the “Kaunas Pride” event in Kaunas, I. Šimonytė answered yes.

“I would have given it to both of them,” he said.

I. Šimonytė explained that if permission was granted for the event in Vingis Park, this time also a consensus had to be reached.

“Freedom of assembly is important, order must be followed, the police must be able to do their job. But on the other hand, if a permit was issued for an event in Vingis Park, here is a way to agree with the organizers and issue a permit a month later, in a better epidemiological situation, I really believe that it was possible to find an agreement here. And not open an additional discussion, which is probably not valuable “, – Prime Minister I. Šimonytė assessed the situation in the news radio show.