Police investigate biker protest at Kaunas mosque over hate incitement

Kaunas police have opened a pre-trial investigation after bikers disrupted Muslim prayers outside a mosque and brought a pig’s head to the protest, LRT reported. The investigation concerns possible incitement against a national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group and interference with religious rites.

Police are also conducting administrative proceedings because the protesters had not obtained permission to hold a public gathering.

The protest involved members of several biker clubs, including Roadhogs MC, Vilkai MC and Vorai MC. Club representatives were reluctant to comment, but one told LRT that bikers were angered by what they described as disorder in Kaunas. He claimed that Muslims parked cars on nearby streets and prayed outside the mosque.

“Cars, public order, when they pray in the courtyard. Many things that are unacceptable. But the main thing is complete disorder, complete disregard and disrespect for Lithuanian citizens and those around them,” the representative said. He asked not to be identified by name or club.

He said the protest was not directed against Islam, but argued that Muslims disturbed the peace of local residents by praying in public. The full interview with the biker club representative was published at the end of the LRT article.

Many members of the public viewed the protest as clear incitement of hatred against people of another religion. Legal scholar Skirmantas Bikelis said state leaders had missed an opportunity to respond quickly and condemn what he described as a hate crime. The president did not comment, while the prime minister and the speaker of parliament responded on Monday to the incident, which took place on Friday.

Arūnas Kučikas, director of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Kaunas and a deacon, said the incident was disturbing. He said Christians should not interfere with a religious community’s prayers or frighten people during worship, particularly through methods that recall historical pogroms and attacks.

Kučikas said the situation required the creation of a platform for dialogue between different religious denominations and greater involvement from Kaunas city authorities.

On Monday, the prime minister and the speaker of parliament called on all sides to refrain from further escalating the conflict.