An unusual and disturbing antisemitic incident took place on the streets of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, after a well-known local blogger and online activist, Gintaras Lutkevicius, attacked haredi Jews from Israel who were visiting the city.
The incident, which sparked widespread public outrage, made headlines after the attacker himself documented the act and shared the video on his social media platforms.
In the footage uploaded by Lutkevicius, he is seen deliberately approaching three Israeli haredi men wearing traditional Hasidic clothing, spitting toward them, and calling on passersby to carry out similar actions.
During the verbal and physical assault, the blogger shouted at them: “I heard that you like spitting on Christians... Get out of Lithuania. This is Lithuania - go home."
Following the publication of the video and the public outcry, Vilnius police intervened and launched an urgent criminal investigation on suspicion of incitement to hatred on national and religious grounds.
Lutkevicius was detained for questioning but was later released to his home under restrictions. Immediately after his release, the blogger used his digital platforms to launch a crowdfunding campaign to cover his legal expenses.
The victims are a group of Hasidic Jews from Israel who arrived on a special prayer pilgrimage to the graves of righteous figures and historic Jewish sites in Belarus and Lithuania, including a visit to the grave site of the Vilna Gaon.
Following the street attack, members of the group expressed serious concerns for their personal safety. It is currently unclear whether they intend to continue with their original itinerary, which includes participation in a major event in the capital.
Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman of the Jewish community in Lithuania, addressed the unusual incident and clarified that the community is accompanying the tourists and providing them with full legal assistance in their dealings with law enforcement authorities.
“This is not a widespread phenomenon in Lithuania," Kukliansky emphasized in an effort to reassure the public. “Cases like this happen, but they are extremely rare."
However, she acknowledged deep concern over the impact of the war in the Middle East on local tensions, warning that such calls are dangerous and could create a copycat effect.
Rabbi Shalom-Ber Krinsky, Chabad emissary to Lithuania who has worked in the country for more than three decades, reinforced these remarks, expressing surprise that this was the first time he had encountered a physical attack of this kind against Jews on the street.
“When I first came here in 1994, people would look at me on the street because of my Chabad clothing, but today Vilnius is a completely cosmopolitan city and residents are accustomed to seeing us," the rabbi concluded.