VILNIUS - After a3-month economic hiatus caused from the coronavirus lockdown, the Lithuanian economy faces yet anotherhurdle - coming to terms with the government’s ill-fated initiative to build aconference centre on a Jewish cemetery. The decision was made in spite of widespread internationalopposition from political and religious groups, which called the Lithuaniangovernment out for its desecration of a Jewish cemetery and for invoking apolicy which runs contrary to the Geneva Convention and to the EU Charter of HumanRights.
A consequence of thedecision to build the conference centre is that Dr Mathew Anthony Harper, a White House press person andrepresentative of a group of evangelicals, has called for a boycott of alltourism in Lithuania. Christian evangelicals represent close to abillion people.
An independent pollconcluded that the majority of Europeans will not visit Lithuania, if a boycottis invoked. The call for the boycott by Dr. Harper has widespread interfaithsupport.
Most Lithuanians seethe government as being directly responsible for the economic woes that willbefall the economy, post coronavirus. Experts say that a boycott will be little comfort to an economy whichneeds a heavy dose of stimulus. Analysts called the government’s decision tobuild the conference centre as “irresponsible.”
Lithuanians wait with baitedbreath, in the hope that the government will reverse the plan to construct theconference centre, on the property of the Jewish cemetery.
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Pieter Muller
Human Rights World Monitor
