Lithuania

The notorious Maxima Group (or officially VP Group) strikes again. You already know that it secretly kept selling dishes proved to emit poisonous materials (this was discovered by my colleague Džina Donauskaitė), turned the former Central Station of Alytus into a slum, was supposed to become the key private investor in the new power plant to be built (in case of any disagreement, the govt would have deposited all its property except embassies abroad), and allegedly forced its employees to participate in an environmental action day. Not all the accusations may be as severe as they seemed in the beginning, but it is indeed very difficult to check them, and so far I have not received any information that would make me think otherwise. Anyway, here comes the latest news: Akropolis, the chain of huge shopping malls belonging to the VP Group (one of the malls was built in the centre of Kaunas under dubious circumstances, and is a classical example of urban mis-planning), is suing the state for the loss of money it invested into land it bought before the crisis. During the crisis, which hit Lithuania in 2008, real estate prices plummeted and many people and businesses experienced losses. The most severely affected were young people who took mortgage loans for their accommodation, as their salaries were reduced, yet interest remained high, and the option of selling the apartment to pay off the debt became not an option anymore.

There is no denying that the government is partly to blame for the severity of the crisis. The previous Social-Democratic government 'overslept' and totally mishandled it. The new Conservative-Liberal government introduced austerity measures that badly hit domestic consumption. However, the crisis is practically force majeur, and one should not demand taxpayers' money for one's own miscalculated investment. But of course big business always finds its way.

Update 17 June

The court has just ruled that the conglomerate won't have to pay the remaining amount to the state, because the market value of their purchase has decreased. Of course, nobody cares whose else property's market value decreased due to the crisis. The court explains that the Lithuanian state won't suffer too much, because it will benefit from the development of infrastructure around the mall. I wouldn't claim that infrastructure in that area was underdeveloped. It is close to a very popular park, which also has a concert hall inside, and almost next to the centre. Why would they build a shopping mall there in the first place?

A famous Lithuanian journalist Arturas Racas reposted a letter he received from the Union of Wage Labourers about a violation committed by the biggest Lithuanian supermarket chain, Maxima. The chain actively took part in the nation-wide day for environmental event, "Darom 2010" (LT: Let's do 2010). The event encouraged people to get together and clean up their environment. Apparently, some of those ad hoc environmental activists even discovered the body of Drasius Kedys, who is a hero for some and a criminal for others after shooting two persons who allegedly brought young children, including his daughter, to pedophiles. Anyway, I don't have any knowledge about this case, so let's leave it for now. Maxima supplied rubbish bags and other materials for volunteers and promised to get its staff actively involved in the event. The Union claims that employees of Maxima were forced to take part.

As I have written previously (although, again, without witnessing), the Restoration of Independence Day in Vilnius was scarred by an already traditional neo-nationalist demonstration. After last year's silence, the demonstrators, with a member of the Parliament on their side, oscillated back to noisy calls for a mono-ethnic state. As before, they crafted a test of democracy especially on the local level. They received a permission to take control of the public space in Vilnius, which some other demonstrators find difficulty in attaining. Close in time and space, a permission for Waffen-SS veterans to march was granted in Riga. Although the demonstration did not receive much attention, there are several important responses, which, unfortunately, I find quite disturbing.

As I wrote earlier, the municipality of Vilnius did not allow the Baltic Pride demonstration (against the discrimination and stereotyping of homosexuals), planned in May, to take place in the new premises where most protests will be pushed to, presumably because it is the territory of an ancient Jewish cemetery. However, Delfi writes that the municipality allowed the 'patriotic' march, which happens already the third time on the Independence Day, without any discussion with the Department of Cultural Heritage. One thing that may explain a part of it is the fact that it was a parliament member, Kazimieras Uoka from the Conservative-Christian Democratic faction, who asked the municipality for the permission to organise the march and assumed responsibility for it.

In 2008, LIthuanians and foreigners were in shock to see how the 'patriotic' march, at the time on Gedimino ave., turned into a neo-nazi demonstration, with anti-Russian and anti-Semitic slogans. The police filmed the participants, but was reluctant to arrest them in the beginning. The next year, in 2009, the website patriotai.lt (a discussion forum popular among the far right and some 'patriotic' moderates) asked the participants of the march for "no sympathy to the ideologies of communism and nazism" and "no hate incitement in posters, slogans and flags". The right-wing demonstration went peacefully and without incitement of hate, yet the parallel anti-nationalist demonstration "the funeral of democracy" was met with rather aggressive resistance, and quite soon patriotai.lt invited its participants to identify the participants of that demonstration. In a few days, one of the participants of the anti-nationalist demonstration was beaten up.

This year (it's the third year that I'm not in the country on the Independence Day, so I have to rely on testimonies) there was no hate incitement, yet the participants shouted (see video), "Lithuania for Lithuanians!" Mr. Uoka only found this slogan 'monotonous', while the Human Rights Monitoring Istitute expressed concern over the agitation for a mono-ethnic state. Personally, I think that the 'patriotic' march is an obvious attempt to monopolise the term 'patriot' and 'patriotism', and 'steal' the Independence Day from the non-right-wing population. Unlike many other national holidays (the crowning of King Mindaugas, the Zalgiris battle, and even the first Independence Day), this day is a celebration of the modern Lithuanian democracy and resistance to the oppressive Soviet regime, so it is also important for moderates and left-wing people. However, the increasingly radical right would prefer to see these people as not belonging neither to Lithuania nor to this day. The way to achieve it is, of course, monopolising March 11th, taking control of public spaces that day, pushing all the alternative voices to the shade, and normalising ethno-nationalist skinhead demonstrations as a true expression of patriotism. When an MP patronises over a demonstration with skinheads and ethno-nationalist slogans, while pro-democratic groups cannot get a permission to demonstrate at all (in 2009, they didn't get a premission to organise a demonstration of more than 9 people), soon enough moderates and left-wingers will feel anything but at home in the city on this important day. In the struggle over public space, the municipal government clearly prioritises one lifestyle over others.

So how about the former cemetery? I think with the two demonstrations as points of comparison, I don't even have to bother to spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y...

For comparison: far-right demonstration in Budapest.

Tired of the pseudo-folk traditional Casimir market (which, despite all criticism, does have good stuff in it, I must say)? Try the new one. Sorry, the announcement is in Lithuanian, but I will translate the basic info.

Each time I go back to my hometown Kaunas from abroad, I'm warned that I'll find it more dead than ever. Yet with these expectations, I always find it surprisingly alive and bustling. This time, caught in the middle of an exceptionally cold winter, locals have set out to enjoy a windless weekend out. Meanwhile, the Vytautas Magnus University proclaims Kaunas to be the "academic capital of Lithuania".

Damn it, why do I only hear bad news about Vilnius when I'm abroad? It's difficult, believe me, to refrain from 'uncivilised' vocabulary, as when news of ever crazier actions of the government leave me shocked. See, I don't see the development of these stories. This time the municipality, overloaded with debts, decided to sell most of the 'infrastructural' companies it owns. Yes, this will give it more money, which will probably disappear into the black holes of corruption, and private owners will make benefit of their monopolist position in transportation, electricity, and central heating. This is freaking sick!

So I left Vilnius again. I live in Tel Aviv now. I'm sure I'll have a lot to share on this blog. But for some reason an idea came to my mind that upon leaving I could give some tips for those who are moving or travelling to Vilnius.

Another big news for the crisis-struck Lithuanian economy. Russia announced that it will not allow importing milk products from Lithuania. Losing this huge market is a disaster for this big business in Lithuania. The country mainly exports agricultural products. Of course, this news is not analysed in any other way than as an example of certain imperialism. Is it the full story though?