Vilnius municipality denies permit for another family defense march
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Vilnius Municipality has refused to issue a permit to the organizers of the Family Defense March to hold another rally in mid-June, Mayor Remigijus Simasius said on Friday.
The organizers were denied the permit because the first rally held in mid-May showed that this is a political festival whose participants failed to follow the coronavirus lockdown rules, according to the mayor. This is no protest and constitutional right to realize one s political views; this is a political festival, Simasius told LRT Radio. We can t permit this festival to continue during the lockdown, [given that] the organizers themselves walk around without masks and don t follow the rules, he said.
Police to deploy heavy force for Saturday s family defense march
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A heavy police force will be deployed to maintain order during Saturday s Family Defense March , Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Renatas Pozela said on Friday, but gave no exact numbers. A large police force will be on duty during the event and will be ready to help, Pozela told a news briefing. There will be uniformed and plain-clothes police officers, as well as mounted police and canine handlers, he said.
Saulius Gagas, the Vilnius county police chief, said police officers from other districts would be brought in to assist the capital s force.
Police raid Vilnius cafe suspected of breaking lockdown
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A police car in Vingis Park / D. Umbrasas/LRT
Six clients were fined for having meals in a Vilnius cafe that was raided by the police following media reports.
Under Lithuania s lockdown rules, introduced last December, cafes and restaurants are only allowed to serve takeaway food.
However, a report by Delfi.lt last weekend indicated that a cafe in Vingis Park was serving food in its covered terrace.
Responding to the report, the police organised a raid, Commissioner General Renatas Požėla said on Monday.
“[Police] officers arrived with officers of the [Vilnius] municipality s Public Order Department and saw violations,” he told reporters during a press conference.