Vilnius Municipal Workers Take Down Škirpa Monument as Police Arrest Three Protestors

Vilnius Municipal Workers Take Down Škirpa Monument as Police Arrest Three Protestors

Photo by Orestas Gurevičius/ELTA

On Sunday afternoon city workers with police escort went to the Lithuanian Appellate and Lithuanian District Court courthouse in Vilnius where a shrine to Lithuanian Nazi Kazys Škirpa was installed without permission Friday in order to remove the illegal construction.

Over a dozen protestors attempted to stop the workers. They attempted to push the workers, who called for police backup, then several protestors locked arms to prevent access to the wall.

The police backup used force to push the protestors away. Protestors on the sidelines chanted “for shame,” “rascists” [sic] and “vatniks.”

Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas told the ELTA news agency he would appeal to law enforcement regarding the illegal construction. He called the installation of the shrine by members of the National Unification party an act of hooliganism.

Three men were arrested at the scene and later charged with administrative law offenses, namely, refusing to obey justified orders from police to disperse.

Full story in Lithuanian here.