The following protest is being called by people who describe themselves as the cultural community of Lithuanian for tomorrow, September 25, to protest the minister of culture proposed and delgated by the Nemuno Aušra party. Details and petition link below.

Dear people of culture,

We are protesting. We categorically oppose the Government’s shocking decision to hand the post of minister of culture over to the Nemuno Aušra party.

We believe that:

Culture cannot be used a tool for political deal-making. The Lithuanian Culture Ministry is not a token which can be exchanged for short-term political gain;

Culture is our memory, the foundation of democratic values, society’s guarantor of resilience to propaganda;

To give this ministry over to a political force characterized by populism, anti-Semitic and pro-Russian rhetoric is dangerous, both to the cultural sector and to society as a whole.

We urge:

The president to block the candidate proposed by the Nemuno Aušra party;

The Social Democratic Party to reconsider this political agreement and to stop it immedoately;

The Government to insire that competent people who understand the culture sphere well be put in charge of the Culture Ministry.

For more information, write kulturosbendruomenesprotestas@gmail.com. An internet petition is available for signing here.

Time: 10:00 A.M. to 1″00 P.M., Thursday, September 26
Place: Daukantas Square in front of the Office of President, Daukanto street no. 3, Vilnius