As the Kaunas Pride date approaches, the mood heats up: he spoke of another riot

Invitations to protest the march are taped to the posts.

“Come on September 4 and let’s prove that Kaunas is not a rooster”, – invitations with this text and a crossed out LGBT flag can be seen in many places in the city.

“Lithuania is increasingly rotting the globalist infection. Another symptom emerged: the pride of Kaunas. We cannot allow these parasites to colonize the true capital of culture: Kaunas. Therefore, it is necessary to unite and show everyone that Lithuania! and Kaunas will not give up! ”, the reminder is announced, which is also distributed on social media.

The authors of this invitation are Atkirtis, an unpublished group that publishes neo-Nazi rhetoric on the Telegram channel. It may be that Atkirtis is the remnant of the fascist Shield movement, perhaps just a few individuals operating in cyberspace.

“The main objective of the organization” Atkirtis “is to unite the Lithuanian citizens so that we do not disappear or change. It is top left and right, it is more important than anything else!” According to the radicals, these are globalists, Zionists and Neo-Communists.

Won’t the invitation to come and protest the LGBTQ + community event turn into an outbreak of violence? It seems that there is still no answer to this question, and the events of August 10 in the Seimas force us to consider several possible scenarios.

The participants of the march will be protected by a platoon of volunteers

Viktorija Kolbešnikova, one of the Kaunas Pride organizers, told the Delfi portal that she and other organizers receive messages of violent content, which are transmitted to police officers for evaluation. Speaking about the invitations to protest before the event, which are distributed both in Kaunas and in the virtual space, he trusted that the police will fulfill their duty to protect the participants of the march.

“For our part, we can say how much we can and will take care of the safety of Pride participants. In addition to the police, from whom we expect protection, we will also have a team of volunteers who will help ensure safety and, in case of incidents, will help provide information.

We ourselves are in a state of peaceful protest, we want to have an opinion. There will definitely be no aggressive actions on our part, “said V. Kolbešnikova.

It is said in the halls of Kaunas Township that Laisvės Alley can become an unpredictable protest scene against the LGBT community, and perhaps a site of some kind of riot. One of the preconditions for believing this is that Kaunas is not used to such events, because it has never been before. On the other hand, some may try to do a kind of rehearsal before the planned September 10 rally in Vilnius, near the Seimas.

Confrontation is necessary, without which no change is expected

When evaluating the invitations distributed in the virtual space to oppose the march of the LGBTQ + community, V. Kolbešnikova mentioned that one is to sit in front of a computer to spread hatred and quite another to do it directly when attending an event with many participants and policemen.

“We are not really afraid of bullying. We realize that the issue is controversial, but at the same time it shows why the march is necessary, why we have to go out and demonstrate. It is this aggression and hatred that shows the need to talk about this issue. That LGBT people need security, that’s why sometimes we decide to go out on the street, we feel insecure to demonstrate, but we perceive it as a necessity. Otherwise, there will be no changes, “said one of the organizers of Kaunas Pride.

V. Kolbešnikova said that she was not against those who would likely gather to protest against the marches of sexual minorities organized for the first time in Kaunas history.

“People have the right to express their opinion, and we will deal with security problems both within the march and to try to trust the police officers. It is necessary for anyone to decide, but at the same time remain calm and organize a peaceful protest, ”V. Kolbešnikova told the Delfi portal.

The organizers of the march on the social network Facebook call not to put up with hatred and to doubt or fear possible reactions.

“A message for those who doubt or fear: the more of us, the louder and safer we can be. In this political climate, voice is important, LGBTQ people have become the target of people’s anger. We are in everywhere and we will not accept hatred. Your coming to the procession will spread this message, so do not hesitate and we will go for a walk! “, declare the organizers.

If the permit is not issued, there will be no protest, but a protest.

The difficulties in organizing the first sexual minority community marches in Kaunas history began only after organizers from the city municipality had declared their intentions.

The desire to hold marches in the city center was repeatedly rejected and the union, which applied for a permit on May 1, finally went to court.

July 30 After the Kaunas Chamber of the Regional Regional Administrative Court examined the complaint of the organizers of the march, it was decided to oblige the municipality of Kaunas to coordinate the permit for the march in Laisvės Alley.

The court determined that no evidence had been presented that the march through Laisvės Alley would violate public order or endanger it. According to the court, the municipality’s refusal to grant a permit was a disproportionate measure, violating the constitutional right of citizens to assemble peacefully. This decision can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, but has not been made so far.

After asking the representatives of the municipality of Kaunas if this right will be exercised, a response was received that everything will be clear in the coming days. Many have been on vacation, so no decision has yet been made on how to proceed.

V. Kolbešnikova, one of the organizers of Kaunas Pride, said that according to her data, the municipality promises to appeal the court decision favorable to the LGBTQ + community. And this can be done on the last day, so it will be a bit problematic to investigate the complaint and make a new decision before September 4.

According to unofficial data, the municipality will do everything possible so that the march is not carried out alone. But I can say that even if the permit was not issued, despite everything, on September 4 the Pride of Kaunas will definitely take place. If necessary, there will be a protest action against the decisions of the municipality, “said V. Kolbešnikova.

It requires the right to marriage and adoption.

For the march of representatives of sexual minorities, the motto of the event was announced on the profile created on Facebook on the social network Kaunas Pride – “We are everywhere.”

The organizers also distributed the main theses:

We are everywhere, so we don’t want to hide.

We are everywhere, so we want to live our life freely without harassment in the store, at work, at family celebrations, without violence on the street and at school.

We are everywhere, so we will not allow traditional values ​​to judge us.

We are everywhere, so we demand legal and social guarantees for everyone, without discrimination based on marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

We are everywhere, so we will no longer tolerate the disguise of hatred as “freedom of speech.”

We are everywhere, that’s why Kaunas Pride.

A list of the main requirements of the planned protest action is also provided. These include respect for privacy, science-based sex education, free medical care for trans people and the exchange of documents without a court order, competent psychological assistance,
correction of the law for the protection of minors of negative information by eliminating homosexuality as harmful information. And also the right to marriage and adoption.