The Vilnius Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community posting on https://www.vilniauszydai.lt has taken strong exception to an Al Jazeera television report on a pro-Hamas protest held in Vilnius presumably months ago which included editorial content linking the Palestinian cause to the Lithuanian struggle for independence from the Soviet Union. The Community said it was disgusting and shameful to hold street marches in support of terrorism.

The pro-Hamas website palestina.lt for some reason provided a translation from Arabic (Al Jazeera mainly broadcasts in English) of the report and editorial (translated back into English here):

“There are demonstrations taking place in Lithuania to express solidarity with Palestine. From the beginning of the war in Gaza activists have held many events in public spaces in the capital Vilnius [sic, two at most]. Participants demand an end to the genocide of Palestinians. The demonstrations are being organized by palestina.lt to bring public attention to events in Palestine, to counter the pro-Israeli narrative dominant in the country’s media, to condemn the close relationship Lithuanian politicians have with Tel Aviv and to emphasize there was also oppression, deportations and colonization in the history of Lithuania dating from the Russian Empire’s period of rule (1795) through the Nazi occupation right up until the restoration of independence.”

The Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community countered:

“We are addressing you [pro-Hamas demonstrators] specifically: of course, you can chant and make do with just one TV channel, Al Jazeera, but you can and should hear: Vilnius, one of the centers of European civilization, a city of ancient culture, called the Jerusalem of the North, does not deserve to have people marching through its center, shouting anti-Semitic slogans and supporting Hamas terrorists who kill unarmed people and kidnap hostages, many of whom are still in captivity.

“It is your right to choose. And your responsibility, because it is your choice that determines what Lithuania will be like, the country and its people. And on world TV channels, and in international politics. And in the eyes of decent, thinking people.”

Full story in Russian here.