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“Our officials are monitoring the public space intensively. The speeches were recorded in the public space. To the best of my knowledge, to the best of my knowledge, some fifteen people have been proactively warned about speaking in the public space and about possible incitement, possible incitement to violate public order, ”said Odeta Vaitkevičienė, representative of the Kaunas County Police Chief Commissariat, on the Delfi rytas show.
A police spokeswoman urged residents who want to see the event, if they can, to do so remotely rather than going to the central part of the city, where traffic, access to certain locations and cafes in Laisvės alley are hampered. .
If, however, residents decide to go and observe everything live, O. Vaitkevičienė urged that they “observe public order and do not give in to the provocations of people who may come with certain objectives, and make sure to listen to calls and councils of field officials “.
The organizers have been warned of a possible liability
The police warned the event organizers of a possible liability if it was not authorized.
“Our police representatives met, sat at a common table and discussed certain moments, ranging from the location, the duration of the march, the number of participants, until finally our officers formally warned of the responsibility that would threaten if the event happened without authorization.
The Code of Administrative Offenses provides for liability: a fine of up to 600 euros. And the relevant articles of the Penal Code would also provide for imprisonment, in this case, in case of riots, article 283 provides for imprisonment of up to five years, ”said O. Vaitkevičienė.
A police spokeswoman said officers were prepared and would provide maximum security for all residents in the central part of the city.
“The vast majority (of officials) will naturally be in the central part of the city, where an authorized / unauthorized event is planned. Several officers will be ready. If the situation demands it, colleagues from other counties will also join,” he said. O. Vaitkevičienė.
Eggs from a “stool bomb” can also be laid on Kaunas Pride participants.
In preparation for the first LGBTQ + march in the history of the city, which will take place in Kaunas on Saturday, officials do not disclose their plans, but say that various scenarios are being prepared and threats are being evaluated.
The biggest concern for law enforcement agencies is not the protesters themselves, who promised a peaceful protest, but people against sexual minorities. It is already known that anti-rallies are planned, there is no shortage of so-called homophobes in virtual space to come and show that “Kaunas is not a rooster.”
Although the protesters will be accompanied and protected by a large police force, it cannot be ruled out that the attacks will not be prevented.
The most likely scenario mentioned by the organizers themselves is that the march could be covered in eggs. Especially in social networks you can find threats to do so, to attack the march with eggs through the windows of the buildings of Laisvės Alley.
Another scenario is much more extreme. On Telegram channels, which are discussed by less friendly people, there have been indications that “feces bombs” are being prepared for the march. The excrement is poured into bags or other containers, these “cartridges” are thrown away and when they fall, they spill their content.
The probability of such attacks is not just a theoretical consideration of potential threats. During the LGBT march in Riga in 2006, its participants were covered in feces, eggs and garbage.
Organizers say the event will take place
The Pride of Kaunas will take place on Saturday. A thousand people are expected to participate, organizers say.
“12 pm (Saturday) all people are invited to meet at the Cathedral, Plaza de la Independencia. We will march through Laisvės Alley until the end, we will turn around and return to the Cathedral, to the Independence Square, ”said one of the organizers of the Kaunas Pride, Rokas Budrauskas, after the meeting with the Speaker of the Seimas.
Kaunas Pride organizers present fourteen demands to the Seimas, governments and individual ministries.
“The first thing is to demand the right to marriage, the couple and adoption. I think this should be guaranteed for all Lithuanians, “said R. Budrauskas.
The march will also require guarantees and social services for all, without discrimination based on marital status.
“This would apply both to single mothers and grandparents raising children, as well as to members of the LGBTQ community. We also demand that the Law for the Protection of Minors from Negative Information, which discriminates against the LGBTQ community, be amended.” R. Budrauskas said.
The organizers demand that people be protected in the employment relationship.
“Up to 32 percent. Members of the LGBTQ community in 2019 suffered discrimination at work. We believe they need more protection,” said R. Budrauskas.
They also require that it is not necessary to go to court to ensure a person’s gender identity.
“That a person would not have to sue the Lithuanian state, which could be done in a dignified way,” said R. Budrauskas.
The march requires schools, colleges and universities to learn about the history of the LGBTQ + community, the fight for human rights.
“We also demand sex education based on science and human rights. We want health care where members of the LGBTQ + community are not discriminated against, but are accepted as Lithuanian citizens on an equal footing.
We want a pact worthy of gender reassignment, which the Civil Code ordered in 2000. (…) We demand that conversion therapy be prohibited. (…) We demand health care based on gender identity, sexual expression and sexual orientation. We would also like to see security for this entire community, ”said R. Budrauskas.
The constitution establishes freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.
The constitution enshrines freedom of assembly and expression, says President Gitanas Nausėda, commenting on the unexcused permits issued by municipalities for the Lithuanian Family Movement protest in Vilnius and the LGBTQ + march in Kaunas.
“If I, as president, were to express my opinion on this issue, it would not be very correct, since both cases have been appealed to the court and the court will make decisions about it,” the president told reporters in Lazdijai on Thursday.
“Anyway, I speak because it is enshrined in our Constitution: freedom of assembly, freedom of expression are ingrained things and should be used by all the Lithuanian people,” he added.
After reconsideration due to the excessive number of participants and intelligence warnings about the increased likelihood of violent attacks during the protests, the Vilnius city municipality did not issue a permit for the planned demonstration of the Lithuanian Family Movement on 10th of September near the Seimas.
The organizers of the demonstration appealed this decision to the court.
In June, the Kaunas City Municipality failed to coordinate the route for LGBTQ + marches in the city center, prompting ongoing infrastructure renovation works and disproportionately large inconveniences for citizens.
The organizers of the march appealed this decision to the court, which instructed the municipality to coordinate the route, but the municipality appealed the decision.
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