„If you are asking whether any additional patrols are planned for today, there is no such information available at present. When deploying additional resources and patrols, the police take into account reports, potential threats and information regarding potential threats. As I understand it, this morning’s intelligence does not indicate any unrest there. Should such information emerge, it would be dealt with accordingly,“ Odeta Vaitkevičienė, a spokesperson for the Kaunas County Police, told ELTA on Monday morning.
As reported by the news portal ‘Kas vyksta Kaune’, on Friday a group of bikers disrupted prayers held by the Muslim community at and near the Kaunas Mosque. They chanted ‘Lithuania’, made a racket, played loud rock music and brought a pig’s head with them.
As the website reported, the bikers interviewed could not say what specific message they were trying to convey.
After the gathering, police initiated administrative proceedings over violations of regulations on assemblies and other events, as well as to clarify the circumstances. According to police, the bikers did not have a permit from the local council to gather near the mosque.
„The identities of some of the individuals (who took part in the bikers’ gathering near the mosque – ELTA) were already known by Friday. If necessary, the officers will also establish the identities of the other individuals. In administrative proceedings, officers are investigating who organised this gathering, whether people were invited to attend it, and so on,“ police spokesperson Vaitkevičienė told ELTA.
The police are also investigating the circumstances under the section of the Criminal Code dealing with liability for hatred and incitement against a group of people. No pre-trial investigation has been launched as yet.
Mufti: the protest was directed against Muslims
Meanwhile, Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas says that the protest was directly aimed at Muslims.
„I would say that the target of the protest was our Muslims, because if the bikers wanted to make a statement against foreigners or immigrants, they could have ridden to the Seimas, the Migration Department or somewhere else, but not to a place of worship and not during prayer,“ said Beganskas, Chairman of the board of the Council of Muslim Religious Communities in Lithuania – the Muftiate – speaking to LRT Radio on Monday.
„This protest was very well planned and staged in advance, because a hundred people could not have turned up at that location by chance, let alone be carrying a pig’s head. This was a protest directed against Muslims,“ he added.
According to Beganskas, the motorcyclists who had gathered outside the mosque were shouting and threatening those present, but the police officers on duty allegedly ignored this.
The Mufti said he believed an internal police investigation should be launched to determine whether the officers fulfilled their duty to ensure public safety.