2024-07-31 04:36:46
“I am sure that the Lukashenka regime is behind this attack. We have already seen many attempts to divide and sow mistrust between Belarusian refugees and Lithuanians, some of them were based on the so-called Litvinism. It is known that the regime does not like the good relations between the Belarusian and Lithuanian peoples and the Lithuanian support for our democratic movement. Therefore, they seek to influence the thinking of Lithuanians and incite hostility towards us,” S. Cichanouskaja told reporters outside the Kropka store in Vilnius on Tuesday.
She reminded that Belarusians are very grateful to Lithuanians for their support in the struggle for the democratic future of Belarus and encouraged Lithuanian residents not to give in to the regime’s provocations.
“I appeal to all Lithuanians – do not allow the regime to exploit you for their benefit and do not look for enemies among Belarusians, because we are a nation that seeks good relations with Lithuania. And remember that we are now on this difficult path on the way to change in Belarus. We are grateful to you for walking this path with us”, said S. Cichanouskaja.
“We must understand that only a free and democratic Belarus will be a reliable partner for Lithuania. These provocations, migrants at the borders of Lithuania, are the same regime. Together, we must oppose him”, added S. Cichanouskaja.
Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also came to express their solidarity
Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also came to express their support for the democratic movement of Belarus. According to them, in this way the ministry shows solidarity with the owners of the institution.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns this provocation, this ugly event. We will seek to investigate this incident and identify both the perpetrators and the customers. We believe that this is most likely a provocation by the regime,” Ugnė Matulevičienė, a representative of the Eastern Neighborhood Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters outside the store.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to express solidarity with the owners of this institution, and we want to repeat once again that we fully support Belarusians fighting for the freedom of their country,” she added.
The office of Belarusian opposition leader S. Cichanouskaja reported that on Monday night, on Savičius Street in the capital, the windows of the souvenir shop “Kropka” were broken, and “Go home, Belarusian pigs” was written on the facade of the building. According to S. Cichanouskaja’s office, the owner of this store is Belarusian oppositionist and political prisoner D. Furmanov.
The police have started a pre-trial investigation into the incident. The suspects have not yet been identified. According to police representative Tomas Braženias, if new details emerge in the investigation, it may be reclassified to the investigation of incitement to hatred.
2024-07-31 04:36:46