Opinion: Lithuanian politicians trying to make supporters of the Nazis out of their people

The demolition of Soviet monuments in Lithuania is a betrayal of national interests, it is a hopeless path – as noted by Vadim Gigin, the Chairman of the Board of the Republican Znanie Belarusian Society, in his talk with Alfa Radio

Lithuania has adopted a law banning ‘propaganda of totalitarian, authoritarian regimes and their ideologies using public facilities’, and – in line with this document – the country is supposed to be completely cleansed of Soviet monuments and symbols. According to Mr. Gigin, such trends have been observed in the West for a long time.

“We see that the rhetoric of forgetting the results of WWII is growing (not only in Lithuania, but also in the West). Initially, there was some kind of deaf criticism [of the USSR actions during the Great Patriotic War] during the years of the Cold War, but there was a fear of public statements then. In addition, their [Western] veterans treated Soviet soldiers, generals, and the Soviet feat with great respect. They understood who had made a decisive contribution to the victory. But that generation began to pass away. In the 1990s, when the USSR collapsed, thoughts emerged that much information had been hidden from us. In the 2000s, restrictions on Soviet symbols began to be introduced. Meanwhile, after the beginning of the special military operation, all that had been hidden, began to come to the light. At present, Western Europe and the United States fully support the condemnation of the USSR and the oblivion of its role during the Second World War, virtually equating the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany and openly falsifying historical facts. However, the true story has already been documented, it is available in the sources,” the expert said.

Mr. Gigin noted that Lithuanian politicians are betraying their people, presenting them as supporters of the Hitler regime, “They [Lithuanian authorities] demolish monuments, but they should bear responsibility for the role they played during WWII. If you were not with the Soviet Union, then with whom? The answer is obvious, because their [Lithuanian] politicians are the heirs of those who killed Jews in 1941. When they demolish Soviet monuments, they mean that Lithuanians are a criminal nation. In those years, you [Lithuanian politicians] were not neutral, you were part of the USSR. Have you been recognised as part of the anti-Hitler coalition? No, you were Hitler's henchmen, but Germans treated you with contempt, deciding not to create a Lithuanian state. Therefore, by demolishing these Soviet monuments, politicians recognise themselves not only as criminals, but also as lackeys who served the regime that was the heir to the Teutonic tradition of destroying Lithuanian statehood. You are betraying the graves and the memory of your great ancestors who fought against those people [enemies of Lithuania].”

The expert stressed that, by demolishing monuments, Lithuanians spit in their history, “We know about Lithuanian Heroes of the Soviet Union, we have Maria Melnikaite Street. We understand perfectly well that there were Lithuanian anti-fascists and underground workers, but their memory is betrayed. They [Lithuanian politicians] spit not in us, but in their history. They want to be the heirs of those who killed Jews, who carried out executions, who burned villages. We respect the Lithuanian people and their great history. These are our neighbours, these are people with whom we live together. We have many cultural ties and traditions, and many Lithuanians live in Belarus. However, those who now head Lithuania are betraying national interests.”