A Lithuanian lawmaker sparked controversy after sharing a social media post that appeared to mock a political rival, prompting calls for greater decorum among members of parliament. The incident underscores the increasing scrutiny of politicians’ online behavior and its potential impact on public discourse.
Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas expressed his disapproval of the post, stating that members of parliament should demonstrate a higher level of political culture and reserve jokes for private conversations, not public platforms.
“I didn’t see the post,” Olekas said in an interview with Lietuvos ryto televizijos, “but I view it negatively if we are making fun of each other. I believe there is a place for mockery or jokes when we are communicating, but on social networks, I think we should maintain a sufficient degree of dignity.”
Olekas added, “Ridicule and such things are not what people should demonstrate, especially members of the Seimas.”
The controversy began when Seimas member L. Girskienė shared a photo on Thursday evening of a man holding a bottle of alcohol, appearing intoxicated, and asked her followers if he resembled liberal politician E. Gentvilas.
The post quickly drew mixed reactions, with some finding it humorous while others criticized Girskienė for engaging in what they considered bullying. Gentvilas himself characterized the post as a personal attack.
Girskienė subsequently removed the post and issued an apology after receiving widespread attention and criticism.
“I think One can sometimes joke, things happen in life, but we need to maintain a certain level of dignity,” Olekas cautioned. He also warned that such behavior “leads to very serious things.”
“If We see permissible to mock a member of the Seimas, why not someone else? Then we have not only such unpleasant ridicule, but even tragedies, when people face that ridicule – especially among young people,” Olekas explained. “I would very much like members of the Seimas to demonstrate a certain political culture that would be an example to follow, not one to avoid.”
Girskienė told the portal Lrytas on Friday that her intention was to “bite” Gentvilas and remind him of past statements he had made. Juozas Olekas, currently serving as Speaker of the Seimas, previously held the position of Minister of National Defence from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2016.
“I wanted to poke a little, to remind him of the story where he publicly stated that only vagrants think the salary of a member of the Seimas is high. Yesterday I saw that photo, people in Klaipėda were sharing it in social network groups, so I just posted it,” Girskienė said.
She insisted she did not intend to mock her colleague, stating, “Of course, maybe I shouldn’t have done it, but the goal was not to ridicule or offend anyone. Definitely not bullying. It’s just a very similar person. I don’t know if that photo was generated or not, so let’s just say I wanted to poke him a little and remind him of that story.”
Girskienė also claimed that Gentvilas “has also made sharp statements about her on occasion.”
“Let’s just say the boomerang came back. I also received a boomerang in return – my photos, where I drink alcohol, spread across social networks,” she said.
Gentvilas responded to Girskienė’s post, calling it bullying. “This is not humor, this is bullying. She asks for comments without bullying, when she herself posts an obvious mockery of me – of her colleague,” he told 15min.
Girskienė initially stated she would not delete the post. “What’s done is done. I don’t know what will happen. He should also apologize for many things, he has called me all sorts of names in the Seimas session hall. My social network bubble doesn’t comment as strongly, but I attracted comments from constant opponents, and they think this is bullying, but they didn’t think bullying occurred when my words about LRT were recently shared and cut, and those same commentators spread it across social networks.”
“Then it didn’t seem like bullying, but now it suddenly does,” she added.
However, Girskienė ultimately removed the post from Facebook on Friday afternoon.
“I acted thoughtlessly. I apologize. I stirred up the wind, I take the storm. I’m not much of a humorist…” Girskienė admitted.
In her message about Gentvilas, Girskienė also suggested that the Seimas should consider having breathalyzers available near the session hall. “I definitely see problems that such a thing is needed. Colleagues like to come in an improved state, I have had to smell it, and sometimes it is obvious. But I definitely won’t name names. I don’t think this is normal,” she said.
The incident drew reactions from other politicians as well. Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, chairman of the Freedom Party, called Girskienė’s actions “the bottom.” Girskienė responded by referencing Dainius Žalimas, a member of the European Parliament.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, a member of the European Parliament, commented, “Regrettable. You are a member of the Seimas.” Girskienė advised him to “discipline your Skvernelis.”
