On Tuesday the Vilnius Regional Court began hearing a criminal case against former MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis who is accused of inciting hatred. Prosecutor Justas Laucius speaking on behalf the state prosecution noted that in his facebook posts, the politician spoke disparagingly of people of Jewish origin, accusing them of committing a massacre in the village of Pirčiupiai and the “Holocaust of Lithuanians,” ELTA reports.

Žemaitaitis stated in court he is currently unemployed and registered with the Employment Service. He also said he is currently a candidate for parliamentary elections to be held in the fall.

Prosecutor Laucius read out the indictment, indicating that Žemaitaitis is accused of inciting hatred towards persons of Jewish nationality, mocking persons of Jewish nationality and publicly approving of international crimes, denying them or grossly belittling them.

The prosecutor noted the charges are based on Žemaitaitis’s posts on facebook. According to Laucius, on May 8 last year while a member of parliament Žemaitaitis, commenting on the news that Israeli troops had destroyed a Palestinian school, spoke contemptuously of persons of Jewish nationality and used anti-Semitic expressions.

According to the prosecutor in his speech at a session of the Lithuanian parliament Seimas on May 9, 2023, as an MP Žemaitaitis publicly promoted the idea of ​​normalizing anti-Semitism against the Jewish people, encouraging hatred of a group of people and individuals belonging to that group on the basis of ethnicity.

Laucius also cited other posts by Žemaitaitis on facebook. As the prosecutor noted, the politician incited hatred of Jews in his posts on the social network published in June last year. Laucius said the charge is also based on the politician’s post in which he expressed outrage over Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė;s visit in Israel.

“It is disgusting that Šimonytė is talking such nonsense when on June 3, 1944, Lithuanian Jews, together with the Russians, destroyed the village of Pirčiupiai and the people living there. This once again shows that our Government is absolutely indifferent to the murder of Lithuanians in Lithuania by Lithuanian Jews from 1941 to 1944,” the prosecutor quoted from Žemaitaitis’s post.

Laucius said “Žemaitaitis, being a state politician, i.e., a member of the Seimas [Lithuanian parliament], sought to cause hostility and provoke hatred towards people of Jewish nationality with his posts.”

The accused former MP did not admit guilt. He said he will be able to answer the prosecutor’s questions in court after questioning witnesses.

The next court hearing in the criminal case is scheduled for September 30.