A protest organized by a motorcycle club outside the mosque in Kaunas – Lithuania’s second-largest city – has triggered a criminal investigation into the possible incitement of hatred against a religious group and the disruption of religious rituals.
Kaunas police announced the launch of a pre-trial investigation regarding the alleged incitement of hatred based on nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, or other grounds, as well as the disruption of religious rituals. Authorities have also initiated administrative proceedings because the organizers had not obtained a permit for the gathering.
Several motorcycle clubs were involved in the protest at the mosque, including Roadhogs MC, Vilkai MC, and Vorai MC. Representatives of the clubs were reluctant to discuss the event; however, one individual who wished to remain anonymous stated that the bikers were protesting against disorder surrounding the mosque. He told LRT that traffic and public order are disrupted when prayers take place in the mosque’s courtyard. The main issue, he claimed, was the total lack of order and a lack of respect for Lithuanian citizens and others in the vicinity. The protest was reportedly not directed against Islam itself, but rather intended to demonstrate that holding prayers in a public space and disturbing local residents is unacceptable. Nevertheless, the protest is widely regarded as a hostile act against Muslims. Legal expert Skirmantas Bikelis stated that Lithuanian politicians missed an opportunity to respond quickly and condemn what he described as a hate crime.
Arūnas Kučikas, Director of Caritas for the Archdiocese of Kaunas and Chairman of the Caritas Lithuania Council, pointed out that attempts to intimidate a religious community during prayer—particularly through the use of historically significant symbols—can have serious consequences. Kučikas noted that Christians do not advocate merely for abstract tolerance; while one may disagree with religious content,
a community should not be denied the opportunity to pray, nor should its members be intimidated or frightened.
He added that the use of a pig’s head in the protest evoked historical episodes of persecution, including pogroms and attacks against Jews.
Lithuanian courts have previously dealt with incidents involving pig carcass parts used to attack Jews. In 2013, a court in Šilutė convicted a man after he nailed two pig ears to the doors of the former Švėkšna synagogue. The court concluded that the man’s actions constituted public mockery and the incitement of hatred against Jews.
In 2015, a court in Kaunas sentenced Jevgenijus Pleganovas, who in 2010 had placed a pig’s head—wearing a hat and with sidelocks glued to it—outside the Kaunas synagogue.
The consumption of pork is forbidden in both Islam and Judaism; consequently, the animal is considered offensive in both religions.
Egdūnas Račius, a professor of Islamic and Muslim community studies at Vytautas Magnus University, noted that
in Western societies, the pig is known as a symbol used to deliberately offend Muslims.
However, he cautioned that the symbolism of the pig is not so easily explained from a Muslim perspective. While presenting a pig’s head is a classic example of “everyday Orientalism,” some Muslims—particularly those from regions where pigs are rarely encountered—might not immediately grasp the intent behind the gesture. Meanwhile, Milda Ališauskienė, a professor of sociology and religious studies at Vytautas Magnus University, stated that the incident in Kaunas reflects a shift in how such acts are carried out. While pig heads used to be placed secretly in the past, people can now be seen standing proudly while holding a pig’s head, seeking to humiliate members of other races and religions. This raises questions about whether Lithuanian society has become more tolerant of hatred based on religion and race.
Kučikas said the incident highlights the need for stronger dialogue among religious communities, alongside greater involvement from Kaunas municipal authorities. He acknowledged that tensions have escalated in recent years between Kaunas’s historic Tatar Muslim community and a newer community formed more recently, but noted that these issues could be resolved through dialogue rather than confrontation. Kučikas emphasized the lack of established interfaith communication practices in Kaunas—and Lithuania as a whole—and called on religious leaders to meet regularly to discuss shared issues, including the right of each group to practice its own religion.
The Archdiocese of Kaunas also condemned the protest,
stating its opposition to the disruption of prayers and the display of disrespect toward Islam. Archbishop Kęstutis Kėvalas emphasized that religious freedom and the preservation of human dignity are integral parts of a mature, democratic society. One may disagree, hold different worldviews, or offer criticism, but one must not humiliate a person because of their religious beliefs.
Bikelis pointed out that previous court rulings demonstrate that displaying or placing a pig’s head near religious buildings can be considered an act of humiliation, mockery, and incitement of hatred. However, he noted that a recent appellate court ruling regarding statements made by former MP Petras Gražulis complicates the legal assessment. Gražulis had publicly used derogatory terms to describe homosexual individuals and accused them of spreading sexually transmitted diseases. The court had concluded that his statements constituted mockery, humiliation, and incitement of hatred based on sexual orientation; however, the appellate court overturned the ruling, stating that mockery and humiliation as such do not amount to incitement of hatred. The case is now pending review by the Supreme Court of Lithuania. As Bikelis noted,
the appellate court ruling could reduce the likelihood of hate crime charges being brought in the Kaunas case,
even though the incident involved a display of hostility toward Muslims that was particularly aggressive and intimidating.
Bikelis criticized the slow response of Lithuanian politicians to the incident, pointing out that condemnation from the country’s leaders could help prevent similar incidents from recurring. On the 14th of September, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius called on all parties to refrain from escalating the situation. Parliamentary Speaker Juozas Olekas stated that differences of opinion regarding migration, religion, or other issues should not be expressed by humiliating others or interfering with religious rituals. Bikelis said he was particularly concerned by remarks from the Minister of National Defence, which implied that Muslims had somehow provoked the incident themselves.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/3054175/pig-s-head-at-kaunas-mosque-fuels-debate-over-religious-hatred
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