Lithuania must work with America to counter all forms of hate and uphold common values, prominent lawmaker insists
The decision by the ruling party in Lithuania to form a coalition with a political grouping whose leader is on trial for making anti-Semitic remarks, goes against the ideals of democracy and endangers the Jewish people, US Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) has stated.
Remigijus Zemaitaitis heads the Dawn of Nemunas party, which he founded in 2023 after he was expelled from the Freedom and Justice party over his anti-Semitic rhetoric.
The 42-year-old politician claimed last year that Jews and Russians had oppressed the Lithuanians during the Second World War. He has also advocated the death penalty for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
In April, Lithuania’s Constitutional Court found his statements to be anti-Semitic, deciding that Zemaitaitis had broken his oath as a member of the country’s parliament, the Seimas, violating the country’s principal law. The ruling meant he had to step down as an MP. A separate probe, this one by the Prosecutor General’s Office, is underway into the politician’s remarks.
Senator Cardin, who is Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Friday that the decision by Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party (LSDP) to enter into a coalition with Dawn of Nemunas “undermines the core values that unite” the US and the Baltic state.
“At a time when antisemitism is on the rise around the world, giving a platform to anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts of hate is not just a betrayal of shared democratic ideals, but a physical threat to the safety of Jewish and minority communities,” the American warned.
He also urged Lithuania, which is a member-state of both NATO and the EU, to keep working with the US “to counter all forms of hate and ensure that our shared values remain unshaken.”
Zemaitaitis has insisted that his remarks were not anti-Semitic and is denying any wrongdoing.
Following a parliamentary election in Lithuania last month, the Social Democrats Party, which won 52 seats in the 141-seat legislature, invited the Dawn of Nemunas, with 20 seats, and Union of Democrats ‘For Lithuania’ (14 seats) to form the ruling coalition. The three parties together will hold 86 seats.
On Saturday, Social Democrat deputy leader and designated Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas defended the party’s decision, explaining that it was “the only way” to have a “sustainable” coalition. He told reporters that Zemaitaitis will not get a government post, although his party will lead three ministries.
“Some claim the whole Nemunas Dawn party is anti-Semitic – we don’t see it like that,” Paluckas said, as cited by Reuters. “There is no place for antisemitism, neither in the Social Democrat party nor its government,” he added.
