Matulionis calls Kaunas mosque incident a provocation

Presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis has described a bikers’ gathering outside a Kaunas mosque during Muslim prayers as a provocation, saying law enforcement should assess the incident and take appropriate action, LRT reported.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in Lithuania,” Matulionis told Žinių radijas on Tuesday. He said people’s religious feelings must be respected and that such incidents should not occur.

Matulionis also said the provocation was beneficial to Lithuania’s enemies, including Russia.

Kaunas County Police launched a pre-trial investigation on Monday into possible incitement against a group of people and interference with religious rites. The investigation followed a gathering of bikers at Ramybės Park on Friday, when they played loud music, revved their motorcycles, chanted patriotic slogans and displayed a pig’s head.

Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said the incident reflected rising tensions and should be assessed by the State Security Department. He said the issue was not Lithuania’s Tatars, who have been part of society for centuries, but the country’s new migration reality.

Police said no one had been formally suspected in the investigation. Officers have identified the person who held the pig’s head and several other people.