Bikers gather during the protest, with a pig’s head displayed (left); Kaunas Mosque in Lithuania (right).
NEW DELHI: A group of bikers disrupted prayers outside a mosque in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city, gathering near the place of worship, playing loud music, revving motorcycles and chanting nationalist slogans, according to Lithuanian media and police. A pig’s head was also reportedly displayed during the incident, which took place on September 11 as Muslims were attending prayers.
According to Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, the bikers gathered in Ramybes Park near the mosque while Muslim worshippers were inside for prayers. The group reportedly chanted “Lithuania”, played music and made noise near the mosque. Video shared on social media showed bikers gathered in the vicinity of the mosque during Muslim prayers.
The incident attracted attention from the local Muslim community and Lithuanian authorities. A woman interviewed by the news portal Kas vyksta Kaune described the episode as “shocking”, noting that people gather at the mosque to pray. Despite the disruption outside the mosque, police said there was no physical confrontation between the bikers and members of the Muslim community.
Additional police forces were deployed near the mosque as officers assessed the situation. Lithuanian police initially opened administrative proceedings on September 11 over possible violations of regulations governing assemblies and other public events. Authorities subsequently examined whether the incident could also involve possible incitement of hatred or interference with religious rites.
Kaunas County Police said on September 14 that a pretrial investigation had been opened following a review of video footage and reports received about the incident. The investigation concerns possible incitement of hatred against a group of people and interference with religious rites.
Police spokeswoman Odeta Vaitkeviciene told BNS that no person had been formally suspected at that stage. She said the identity of the person holding the pig’s head was clear and that the identities of other people involved had also been established, but that the matter remained under investigation.
Vaitkeviciene said there had been no physical contact and, according to information available to police, nobody was injured or required medical assistance. She also said police had deliberately avoided physical intervention during the incident, describing the decision as tactical and aimed at preventing a possible escalation of tensions.
The Kaunas incident comes amid wider debates across Europe over Muslim migration, integration, national identity and public security. In several European countries, migration policies and concerns surrounding irregular migration have become subjects of political and public protests. These debates have at times generated tensions between sections of local populations and Muslim migrants.
Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas has called for discussions with government officials over additional security measures for Muslims. He has raised the possibility of installing a fence around the Kaunas mosque and called for legislation addressing incitement of hatred based on race, nationality or religion.
Beganskas has also requested an internal police review of officers’ conduct, saying some Muslim women present during the incident felt unsafe and questioning whether public safety had been adequately ensured. Lithuanian authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the mosque protest and the display of the pig’s head.
