Lithuania: Blockade of ‘Z’ public demonstration in support of Russian invasion

The Lithuanian Parliament today approved a ban on the public display of the letter “Z”, the white and orange ribbon of St. George and other symbols believed to express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian military vehicles in Ukraine clearly bear the letter “Z”, which has begun to appear on social media, in clothing and in other countries, as a signal of support for the war.

Meanwhile, the St. George ribbon, introduced in honor of Catherine the Great, gained prominence in the Russian-speaking world after separatists in eastern Ukraine adopted it as a symbol of their support for Russia in 2014.

In an earlier ban on public display of Soviet and Nazi symbols, Parliament added a clause to “symbols of authoritarian and authoritarian regimes used in the past or are now used to promote military aggression, crimes against humanity and crimes against humanity.” committed by them “.

The deputies also approved fines for violating the ban, which will amount to 900 euros for individuals and will reach 1,500 euros for businesses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent troops to Ukraine in what he calls a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “demilitarize” Ukraine. Ukraine and the West say Putin has launched an unprovoked offensive war.

Lithuania’s decision follows similar bans in Latvia and Moldova. Germany is also considering imposing a ban.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called in March for a total ban on the political use of the letter “G”, saying it meant “Russian war crimes, bombed cities, thousands of Ukrainians killed”.

Source: Capital

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