Lithuanian parliament speaker urges politicians to moderate rhetoric after coup claims

Lithuanian parliament speaker Juozas Olekas has called on politicians and public figures to “restrain their language” following statements by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the ruling “Aušra” party, who claimed a violent coup would take place in Lithuania this autumn, LRT reports.

Speaking to Žinių Radijas on Wednesday, Olekas said such rhetoric risked escalating tensions. “I truly don’t want to comment on this, because these kinds of statements keep appearing from time to time. It seems to me that sometimes we should restrain our language a bit so that such pretexts don’t arise,” he said.

He added that public discourse in Lithuania had grown increasingly hyperbolic, warning against “various expressions, middle-finger gestures, and similar things.” His remarks were directed at both politicians and broader civil society.

Žemaitaitis had claimed in a May 22 interview with OpTV that a “brutal” coup involving “physical confrontations” would occur in September or October. Prosecutors have since ordered police to assess whether his statements constitute an offence.