Political scientist says parliament must decide figures like Žemaitaitis unworthy of Seimas

A political scientist has stated that the Seimas must take a stand and declare that figures like Remigijus Žemaitaitis are unworthy of serving in parliament, LRT reports.

Last December, the Vilnius Regional Court found Žemaitaitis, leader of the “Nemuno aušra” party, guilty of inciting hatred, Holocaust denial, and fined him €5,000. Both the prosecution, seeking a harsher penalty, and Žemaitaitis himself, with his lawyer, appealed the ruling. This week, the Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, ruling for a second time that Žemaitaitis is an antisemite.

Žemaitaitis has called the decision political and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. The opposition insists on initiating impeachment proceedings immediately, but both the Speaker of the Seimas and some legal experts argue that the Supreme Court’s final ruling should be awaited first.

The case stems from a May 2023 Facebook post by Žemaitaitis, in which he commented on Israel’s demolition of a Palestinian school. He compared Israel to Vladimir Putin, referred to Israelis as animals, and quoted an antisemitic poem. He later repeated these remarks to journalists, claiming that Jews had contributed to the destruction of the Lithuanian nation, sparking an international scandal.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals stated: “It has been established that the convicted individual systematically and publicly ridiculed, denied, and incited hatred against a group of people and its members because of their Jewish ethnicity.”

Žemaitaitis maintains that the court is under political pressure, alleging that President Gitanas Nausėda has influenced the judiciary by not appointing a new chair of the Court of Appeals. He claims this has created double standards in Lithuania, with different rules for elected officials and ordinary citizens.

Political scientist Rima Urbonaitė of Mykolas Romeris University argues that the court’s decision will not significantly damage Žemaitaitis’ reputation. “Politicians like Remigijus Žemaitaitis use such rulings as proof of their anti-system stance, framing them as part of their fight against the system and the elite. I don’t see this as a major threat to his reputation,” she said.

Opposition leaders, including Laurynas Kasčiūnas of the TS-LKD faction and Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen of the Liberal Movement, insist that Žemaitaitis has no place in the Seimas and that impeachment proceedings should begin without delay. However, the Speaker of the Seimas has called for waiting for the Supreme Court’s final decision. Social Democratic faction leader Orinta Leiputė said her group would discuss the matter internally, noting that Žemaitaitis is known for his impulsive rhetoric.