• January 29, 2015
  • 249

AWPL: nationalists will not intimidate minorities

In response to the attack of vandals who painted red star and anti-Russian slogans on a house of  daughter of a member of Seimas from Rusų Aljansas ,Irina Rozowa, AWPL issued a special statement. Below we publish the whole of it.

Today in the morning unknown assailants written anti-Russian slogans on the of home of Irina Rozowa’s daughter,the member of the Seimas of the Republic of faction of Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL), AWPL and Rusų Aljansas coalition’s candidate for the mayor of Klaipeda. On the white walls of the house they placed red slogans saying: “Russians, go home”, “Freedom for Lithuania”, “No to Russians”. In response to the incident AWPL Press Office issued a statement in which it condemned the attack on the family of Ms.

“AWPL expressed strong protest against such attacks against our candidates, as well as against witch-hunt on minorities. The paradox is that after our country’s join to the European Union, which was supported by the minorities that expected that their situation will improve – the condition of the rights of ethnic communities deteriorated significantly. Today the situation and the rights of minorities are much worse than before the accession to the EU. After the previous liberal-conservative government’s discriminatory moves: the cancellation of the Law on National Minorities took place, which was continuously in force since 1991, the Education Act changed, what significantly reduced the laws of Polish, Russian and Belarussian schools- a new social democratic government not only hasn’t improved the situation, but also blocked all proposals of AWPL on these laws by voting with the Conservatives. The representative of the Government in the Vilnius district, Audrius Skaistys, conducted financial repression against ethnic minorities, resulting in severe penalties for the use of the mother tongue in the street names placed on private homes of residents “-  says the statement of AWPL Press Office.

According to AWPL, today’s attack on the family of Irina Rozowa no longer qualifies as an attempt to intimidate minorities, but attempt of a trial of the national communities in Lithuania.

” The national minorities living in Lithuania have long understood that strength is only in unity, that only together they can resist the nationalist trends that in our country, unfortunately, still have the support not only of some politicians, but also representatives of the establishment. Therefore, before the forthcoming local elections national minorities have united and issued 13 lists of candidates and 10 candidates for mayors. Even before the official registration of electoral lists there was bashing on block of national minorities. The chairman of the Conservative, former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius directly attacked AWPL leader in the media, urging not to let Waldemar Tomaszewski to be elected the mayor of Vilnius. The persecution then moved on electoral commissions, which blocked the name of the coalition of AWPL and  Rusų Aljansas “Waldemar Tomaszewski’s Block”. With the advantage of only one vote , after a long struggle, the Main Election Commission authorized the registration of the name of the coalition, although the coalition under the same name has already participated twice in elections: local elections in 2011, as well as the European Parliament elections in 2014. Today’s attack on the family of Ms of AWPL fraction, the candidate for mayor of Klaipeda Irina Rozowa, exceeded all boundries and bears the marks of not only the intimidation of minorities, which is unfortunately commonly in our country, but also the trial on them, “- stated the Press Office.

Electoral Action expresses its solidarity with Irina Rozowa, the deputy and candidate for mayor of Klaipeda, and believes that nationalist forces ultimately will fail.

“AWPL sympathizes with the candidate for mayor of Klaipeda Irina Rozowa and declares that notwithstanding all these attempts to intimidate and eliminate minorities from social life, nationalists will fail. United in order to create a fair action for the common good of the national minorities will succeed  in elections and strengthen their positions in order to oppose any risks, financial repression and discrimination – phenomena on the unusual scale in the EU “- says the statement of AWPL.

AWPL calls the country’s authorities to take urgent steps to stop actions targeted against minorities in Lithuania.

“AWPL calls the country’s president Dalia Grybauskaite, the Parliament Speaker Loreta Graužinienė, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius, and the relevant departments and institutions to take urgent steps to stop the bashing against minorities  and actions to fight spreading of ethnic discord in our country. We also call  all people of good will to sypmhatize with the national minorities in Lithuania, as well as to an active signing up for the observations of the local elections in our country that will take place in a month – on March 1 “- says the Electoral Action.

Translated by Alicja Kępińska within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.

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