Police say bikers lacked permit to gather at Kaunas mosque

Police said the bikers who disrupted Muslim prayers outside a mosque in Kaunas on Friday did not have a municipal permit to gather, while no additional security measures are currently planned, LRT reported.

Kaunas County Police spokeswoman Odeta Vaitkevičienė said on Monday that officers had no information indicating a risk of unrest around the mosque, a place of worship. She said additional police resources would be deployed if information about a possible threat emerged.

According to the news portal Kas vyksta Kaune, a group of bikers disrupted prayers inside and outside the mosque. They chanted “Lithuania,” made noise, played rock music loudly and brought a pig’s head. The bikers interviewed by the portal could not explain what specific message they wanted to convey.

Police have opened administrative proceedings over possible violations related to assemblies and other events. Officers are identifying who organised the gathering, whether people had been invited to attend and the identities of other participants. Some participants had already been identified on Friday.

Police are also clarifying the circumstances under a Criminal Code provision concerning responsibility for hatred and incitement against a group of people. No pretrial investigation has been opened so far.

Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas said the action was directly aimed at Muslims. He said that if the bikers had wanted to protest against foreigners or migrants, they could have gathered elsewhere rather than at a place of worship during prayers.

Beganskas said the action appeared to have been planned in advance, arguing that about 100 people could not have arrived by chance while also bringing a pig’s head. He said the bikers shouted at and threatened people gathered at the mosque, while police officers on duty allegedly ignored the conduct. He added that the police should launch an internal investigation into whether officers fulfilled their duty to ensure public safety.