Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda has publicly expressed criticism towards the Social Democrats’ decision to form a coalition with Nemunas Dawn, a nationalist party led by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, an individual accused of extreme antisemitism. In his remarks to local media, Nausėda suggested that this decision could be a mistake and that the coalition’s integrity will be tested in the coming weeks (LRT).
Nausėda warned that the anti-Semitic rhetoric associated with Žemaitaitis might harm Lithuania’s global standing. He emphasized that courting leaders from Nemunas Dawn might portray Lithuania as a ‘hostage’ to divisive ideologies. The president has already had to clarify Lithuania’s opposition to Žemaitaitis’s statements in discussions with various international officials.
The coalition between the Social Democratic Party and Nemunas Dawn has also raised concerns among human rights organizations. The American Jewish Committee expressed its apprehension through a letter addressed to Gintautas Paluckas, leader of the Social Democratic Party, urging reconsideration of the coalition agreement.
Previously, the Lithuanian Constitutional Court had identified Žemaitaitis’s online dissemination of anti-Semitic content, including conspiracy theories implicating Jewish communities during WW2, and antagonistic remarks regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, which resulted in his impeachment from parliament. The court found that these actions violated sections 21 and 25 of the Lithuanian Constitution, which protect human dignity and regulate freedom of speech, respectively (Lithuanian Constitutional Court).
The Constitutional Court’s decision highlighted how Žemaitaitis’s comments incited hatred and violated the Constitutional conditions set for freedom of speech, reinforcing the prevailing concerns about such a coalition.