America cautions EU country regarding glorifying Holocaust perpetrators
(MENAFN) The newly appointed United States Ambassador to Lithuania, Kara McDonald, has issued a stern warning to the country against the glorification of individuals who participated in the Holocaust. In an interview with the Baltic News Service (BNS), Ambassador McDonald highlighted the global increase in anti-Semitism and expressed her commitment to speaking out strongly against any attempts to honor those known to have been involved in the Holocaust.
Specifically addressing concerns about suspected war criminals being celebrated as heroic freedom fighters in modern Lithuania, Ambassador McDonald responded to questions about a monument erected in honor of military officer Juozas Krikstaponis. Krikstaponis is accused of mass killings of Jews and other civilians on behalf of Nazi Germany during the occupation of the Baltic states in 1941.
Krikstaponis, who defected from the Red Army and served in the Lithuanian military, led a unit that was deployed to Belarus, where it allegedly played a role in the killing of at least 20,000 Jews, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Despite these allegations, he has been posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel in 2022, and a monument was erected in his honor in the city of Ukmerge in 1996.
Ambassador McDonald's strong stance against the glorification of Holocaust perpetrators echoes the sentiments of her predecessor, former United States Ambassador Robert Gilchrist.
Gilchrist, along with other foreign officials, had urged the Lithuanian government to remove statues honoring individuals implicated in the Holocaust, including that dedicated to Krikstaponis.
The issue raises broader questions about historical memory, commemoration, and the responsibility of nations to confront and acknowledge their past, particularly when it involves individuals accused of heinous crimes. As diplomatic pressures mount, Lithuania faces a challenge in navigating the delicate balance between historical remembrance and addressing allegations of war crimes, as the global community closely watches developments surrounding these controversial monuments and honors.
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