Rytis Kėvelaitis | The Lithuania Tribune
The supporters of Lithuanian national basketball team received serious allegations from Scotland Yard officers and FIBA for making racist gestures in the games against Nigeria and Argentina.
Throughout the first match in the Olympics with Argentina, Lithuanian fan was asked to sit down by the stewards in the Basketball Arena as the man’s group had been standing and chanting loudly, however, he saluted them with Nazi gesture by raising his right hand.
After the game the incident didn’t go unnoticed for British press and was mentioned as “sickening” in the pages of The Telegraph and The Daily Mail as well as set the intense mood between police officers and Lithuanian basketball fans for the forthcoming game against Nigeria. In addition, two anti-racism NGO’s, Show Racism the Red Card and Unite Against Fascism, representatives encouraged “the police to take action now” and treat such actions like a serious criminal offence.
The tension reached its peak during the Tuesday’s game with Nigeria, bronze medal winners of African Basketball Championship. Petras Leščinskas, 36 years old accountant from Vilnius, has been fined £2,500 by Stratford magistrates court after he was seen raising his arm several times while placing his other hand over his top lip to imitate Hitler’s moustache. Nevertheless, the fan’s group made “monkey-style noises when Nigerian players had the ball”, prosecutor Becky Owen told the court. Despite the later publicly expressed disagreement and disappointment with the unfair court decision, Petras Leščinskas had “regretted his actions and was deeply remorseful” in front of the court.
According to fellow fans, they practise the same chants and claps virtually everywhere, but have never received police treatment to it as “racially aggravated behaviour”. Basketball team supporter Tomas, who informed DELFI about the incident, said that “All of us equally could be arrested. All few hundred fans who have been in the Basketball Arena. But they have chosen a person who looked slightly different – with a wig, etc.”. Majority of Lithuania’s press tended to comprehend the incident as an improper obstacle to support national basketball team and goes along with fans position towards it.
Simon Rotherham, chief security officer of Basketball Arena told the Lithuanian press that staff wishes to explain fans that “some things are perceived differently in the Great Britain” and behave more reservedly. Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in London also informed the public after the incident about “zero tolerance” policy towards any possible racist act in Great Britain which is implemented throughout the Olympic Games strictly as possible.
Even though, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) informed that if fans behaviour wouldn’t change in the following games, Lithuanian basketball federation might face serious consequences beyond the Olympics.
“We are absolutely against any of this and we have indicated to the Lithuanian delegation that it would be better for them if they were to communicate with their fans”, – Patrick Baumann, secretary general of FIBA, said on Saturday.
No incidents regarding racist behaviour were recorded during the basketball games with France and the US national teams.
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@Frank
I’m afraid it’s too late. Because of a few idiots fighting with Russians in Warsaw during Euro 2012, Poles are considered russophobic troglodytes and nothing will change it. Poland is now a country of brutal hooligans who just can’t stand Russians. And even while being the host, will still kick the sh*t out of their guests’ butt, if the guests happen to be Russian.
Does it matter that the remaining 40 million people did nothing of a kind?
Nope, it doesn’t. We’re screwed. Too late. One or a few morons can screw up the nation’s image. Welcome to the global village and media world. We’re screwed.
Err Michael, what can I say… as a man I also can figure a plausible explanation for any bulls… I’m not gonna say that I saw more skinheads and other post-Hitler idiots in Lithuania than anywhere else – for example Amsterdam, or Łódź in Poland – but there’s quite a few of them here, and while they’re considered as something negative everywhere I’ve been to – Lithuanians love them. Pregnant mums take part in their marches. Media think they’re just slightly mislead young patriots, while what they are is Hitler’s offspring. Brutal apes directing their inner hatred for themselves for not being able to get a job, education, feed their families; outside. Pointing their finger at nothing but themselves. Technically, it’s called being a coward. Yet here they’re in a safe port. It was the Roman salute after all, wasn’t it, Mickey?
If only it was the roman salute and not the nazi salute, or maybe “salutes”. And yes I do along with all of Lietuva wish that what this person did was not racist but it obviously was. I think you only read one of the several racist things this “man” did Mike.
What a shame. Just as Lietuva gets world recognition, or maybe just “western” recognition for having a good or great basketball squad for the size of the country one fool maybe, and likely ruins it and will more than likely and unfortunetly be the memory of Lietuva for the olympics and the thing that the western world will remember about the proud baltic state, unfortunately. And obviously he was not doing a salute to the thousand year old symbols and gestures in Europe, and I say obviously, and it is VERY obvious, when he does racist german salutes and makes a Hitler moustache and oh yeah the most obvious part that tells you that his acts where racist is that it was against Nigeria, which “just so happens” to be an African team, I don’t think so. I just hope and pray that this small, but great and proud Baltic country of my grandmother’s birth place -and I am VERY proud to say my blood- Lietuva does not get tarnished in the eyes of the world because of one racist “germanized” fool. But unfortunately one selfish person can influence what the rest of the world thinks about the country especially in this situation, in a small country with not many Africans. Let us just hope that Lietuva winning the gold this year in london will over-shadow this person’s acts and also that the world remembers that this is only how ONE person in this strong historic country feels!
It is a politically correct storm in a teacup whipped up by a hypocritical sanctimonious palace media who turn a Nelson’s Eye to ongoing atrocities in the world today. Had he made the clenched fist salute of the Communist International there wouldn’t be a problem. The Communist salute, which even colored Olympians have made from the winning podium, is an aggressive gesture.
The Roman Salute is a symbol of peace. It signifies openness; it is a clear gesture that the hand doesn’t carry a weapon. Its European origins go back many thousands of years. A single misguided provocation is not going to change history and the heavy fine is only going to harden attitudes.
A reality check; in the lifetime of a still living hundreds of millions this peaceful salute was popular and in widespread use. This fan is badly behaved; so are British fans throughout the world and Europe’s gaols are stuffed with these ill-mannered brats who, if they saw the Roman salute would need smelling salts to bring them around.
It is a paranoiac world we live in today; such hysteria over an open raised hand. Oh how the 16th century witch-finders would recognize modern Britain. Watch the next gathering of Europe’ leaders; most of them will be making it.