Kaunas mufti urges government to protect Muslims after mosque incident

Kaunas mufti Aleksandras Beganskas has urged Lithuanian authorities to ensure the safety of Muslims after a group of bikers brought a pig’s head to a mosque and caused a disturbance on Friday, LRT reported.

Speaking to LRT Radio on Monday, Beganskas said he wanted to meet government representatives to discuss what security measures should be introduced. He suggested that the mosque in Kaunas’s Ramybės Park might need to be surrounded by a fence to prevent similar incidents.

“We need to discuss legislative proposals that would prevent people from being incited against one another on the basis of race, nationality or religion,” Beganskas said, adding that action was needed urgently to prevent demonstrations from escalating into violence.

He praised Muslims who were attending prayers on Friday for not responding to the provocation. “Everyone prayed peacefully and went home or to work,” he said.

Beganskas also called for an internal police investigation into officers’ conduct during the incident. He said members of the Muslim community, including women and Lithuanian citizens, had felt uncomfortable and unsafe when a man shouted and swore at them during prayers.

According to BNS, a group of bikers gathered near the mosque in Ramybės Park around midday on Friday. During Muslim prayers, they played loud music, revved their motorcycles, chanted patriotic slogans and displayed a pig’s head.

Kaunas County Police have opened administrative proceedings over alleged violations of requirements governing meetings and other events. Police have also begun clarifying the circumstances under a Criminal Code article concerning incitement to hatred against a group of people.