DISINFO: Lithuanian Conservatives forming state ideology and justifies people who participated in the Holocaust
SUMMARY
Lithuanian Conservatives justify everyone who fights against the Soviet Union – even people, who killed Jews during the Holocaust.
<…>
This political party (Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christians Democrats) has a monopoly for state ideology. All other political powers adapt to the position of this party. Lithuanian politicians, especially Conservatives, see the world as black and white. Even people who killed Jews during the Holocaust are “white” if they fight against the USSR. Lithuanians were especially active in killing Jews because there was a big population of Jews in Lithuania. (Today’s position of Lithuanian politicians) shows the inability to separate the wheat from the chaff and their vision of the black and white world.
Lithuanians actively participated in the mass killings of Jews. Unlike the Germans, the inhabitants of the Baltic States never regret this crime.
RESPONSE
This articles attacks the Lithuanian Conservatives (Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christians Democrats) and manipulates the history of the Holocaust in Lithuania.
The Holocaust was one of the biggest tragedies in Lithuanian history. During the Nazi occupation, in the years 1941-1943 about 90 per cent of the Lithuanian Jewish population was killed (more than 200 000 people). Local collaborators also participated in the events of the Holocaust. It is not known exactly how many Lithuanians participated, it could be up to 6 thousand collaborators. But many Lithuanians also tried to save Jewish people. In 2020, the list of The Righteous Among the Nations contained the names of 917 people who rescued Jewish people during the Holocaust in Lithuania.
Lithuania has taken many actions to commemorate and teach about the tragic events of the Holocaust: teaching about the Holocaust is obligatory in schools, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania declared 2011 the “Year of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust”, and 2013 was declared the “Year of Remembrance for the Victims of the Vilnius Ghetto”, the 23rd September is Holocaust Memorial Day in Lithuania. In 1995, President of Lithuania Algirdas Brazauskas made a public apology in Israel for the part Lithuanians played in the Holocaust.
The attack against Lithuanian Conservatives, in this case, is not accidental. It linked to the personal opinion of one of the members of Homeland Union, which could be interpreted as an attempt to justify Lithuania's participation in the Holocaust. The leaders of Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats distanced themselves from this opinion and condemned it.
Regarding other claims in the article, Lithuania has no “state ideology”. It is also a groundless statement that the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats is a party which is forming this “ideology”. Lithuanian Conservatives are the ruling political power now (after victory in the 2020 parliamentarian elections) but before it, they were in opposition.
It is not the first case when Kremlin disinformation targets the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christians Democrats. See similar cases: Lithuania is guilty of the bad relations with Russia; The Russophobic political power in Lithuania will undermine the president.