G. Kvietkauskas: "Culturalists have only stirred the waters - there is a growing anxiety in society about the direction of the state"

The Facebook group „Lithuanian Farmers Protest Action“ is quite active. How do you assess its activity?

I see it as a group of civic-minded Lithuanian farmers, which is active not only on issues affecting them but also on issues affecting the country.

Do you think that the willingness of farmers, or rather a part of them, to join the protests of the cultural community is a natural expression of solidarity, or is it more of an emotional reaction to the accumulated problems?

I think it is a civic position on the part of some farmers. Of course, it is not all farmers. It may not even be the majority of farmers. Many of the protesters are younger generation farmers who, by supporting the cultural protest, are also expressing their civic position. They are loudly emphasising that they are not happy with what is happening in the state, and that it is not related to agricultural issues.

Why is it important to support cultural actors?

The explosion in the cultural sphere followed the appointment of Ignotas Adomavičius as Minister of Culture, making a mockery of the people in this sector. At that time, everyone realised that it was not about competences, but about the devaluation and usurpation of culture. And not only farmers, but many other members of society expressed their concern. The culturists were the spark that lit the bonfire of discontent.

It shows that there are a lot of dissatisfied, frightened and worried citizens in Lithuania about what is happening in our country. As a citizen, I am also worried because our country is on a path of destabilisation. This is also reflected in the situation in recent days, in the way in which our Government and the responsible institutions are reacting to the smuggling balloons and kinetic aggression from Belarus. In this case, the culturalists are the part of society that has merely stirred up the water, and the rest is the appropriate reaction of various social groups and individuals. We are all concerned about what is happening in the Lithuanian state at the moment.

What, in your opinion, would be the most important steps to ensure that farmers' voices are heard through dialogue rather than protests?

A distinction should be made between when farmers protest about issues that concern them, as was the case at the beginning of 2024, and here. Now the situation is different. It is not farmers who want to be heard. Part of the farming community, and I stress part, certainly not all. There is a lot of controversy on this issue. So this is part of the farming community supporting a cultural protest, while at the same time expressing its dissatisfaction with the processes that are taking place in Lithuania.

I call on the entire civil society to remain silent and to express their position. Culture is only one aspect that is worrying. I do not even want to name the political party that is playing with the ruling majority. The government exists without two ministers – it has been a long time since we had such a crisis in our country. The Social Democrats are at an impasse and are being manipulated by the only political force whose main aim is to cause destruction and division in society.

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