Lithuanian ethics commission clears Kasčiūnas over social media post

Lithuania's parliamentary ethics watchdog has cleared conservative politician Laurynas Kasčiūnas of any ethical violations regarding a social media post. The Ethics and Procedures Commission (EPK) voted 5-2, with three abstentions, to dismiss the complaint against Kasčiūnas for his post titled "Good Night Left Side!" (Labanakt, kairieji!).

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This is not a neutral statement; violent symbolism is used against political opponents, and it is used as political expression. The question is whether it is appropriate for a member of parliament to use such symbolism in public political communication. In my opinion, it is not.

During the commission's meeting, differing opinions emerged among members. Social Democrat Andrius Radvilavičius argued that Kasčiūnas's message was not neutral and employed violent symbolism against political opponents, which he deemed inappropriate for public political communication. However, conservative member Jurgis Razma countered that strong statements from politicians on either side of the political spectrum are common and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, asserting that Kasčiūnas's post did not incite violence.

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There is nothing inappropriate in that slogan, nothing calling for violence and the like.

The EPK also considered a controversial post by MP Ignas Vėgėlė, who wrote about deporting those who harm Lithuania and risk turning it into a war theater. The commission decided that Vėgėlė's statement did not violate the Politicians' Code of Conduct. Vėgėlė himself had urged caution when interpreting statements linked to painful historical memories, referencing the phrase "Čemodan, vokzal, Rosija" (Suitcase, train station, Russia) previously used by Lithuanian politicians.

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I agree that we must be cautious with historical memory; my relatives have suffered because of it, and we must be careful.