Deny, deflect, distract, confuse. Repeat.*

It may be hard to keep pumping out alternative versions of reality, but the Lithuanian Holocaust deception machine keeps trying, as demonstrated many times, over many years. The Lithuanian go-to trick is to deny and deflect responsibility. This follows a well-known pattern, performed over years by the Lithuanian Government, when multiple claims and lies or manipulative stories are added to fend off the simple truth.

In this case, it is for another Lithuanian murderer, converted into Lithuanian hero, Juozas Krikštaponis. The data on Krikštaponis’s murder of Jews is so comprehensive, even the Lithuanian Government is unable to deny the facts. Nonetheless, Krikštaponis’s monuments and honors remain undisturbed. Lithuania refuses to remove them.

The American Ambassador made a direct plea to the Lithuanian government to remove Krikštaponis’s monument. America’s request fell on deaf ears. Lithuania’s murderers of Jews have greater importance to Lithuania than their relations with the United States.

The website of the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LZB) mentions Krikstaponis many times.

On 2 February, 2016, they stated that the Public Prosecutor refused to examine the case. The balance of the article reports deception after lie, which seven years later, makes a mockery of even contemplating that Lithuania is a state of laws or truth.

On 25 September, 2016, LZB wrote a report about multiple Holocaust perpetrators honored by the state. The Lithuanian Government stupidly pretended to care, and as usual, nodded their heads to say they regret that “others” murdered “their” Jews, while the Lithuanians fetishize and honor the murderers, including Krikstaponis.

On 29 November, 2017, Dr. Saulius Sužiedėlis, an American Lithuanian historian, said Lithuania needs to admit collaboration by Lithuanians without excuses and to stop downplaying the significance of that collaboration. The Lithuanian Government ignored him.

On 22 September, 2018, the Lithuanian Jewish community re-ran an article I penned in the Times of Israel, in which I said: “Krikštaponis was the anti-Soviet hero who was in charge of a Lithuanian battalion which slaughtered Jews in Lithuania and wherever else he and they found them. Even the Nazis were horrified by the sadism of his unit and objected to his cruelty. But Krikštaponis did oppose the Soviets, and Jews do not count, so Lithuania records Krikštaponis as another of their greatest national heroes.”

On 15 April, 2019, LZB again ran an article addressing the rabid antisemitism and Holocaust fraud by the government of Lithuania, in which Krikstaponis was mentioned once again.

On 30 July, 2020, the Chair of LZB spoke out about the dehumanization of Jews when Lithuania names children’s schools to honor Holocaust perpetrators. She again named Krikstaponis.

On 9 September, 2020, LZB again published an essay by a brilliant author, who called on the government of Lithuania to address the authentic facts, with a specific mention of Krikstaponis.

On 7 December, 2020, LZB published a report by the Lithuanian Institute of History on the crimes of Krikstaponis.

On 14 December, 2022, LZB reported that the US State Department demanded that Lithuania stop honoring Holocaust perpetrators as their national heroes, with specific mention of Krikstaponis.

On 6 February, 2023, they reported that the US Ambassador to Lithuania requested the removal of the monument for Krikstaponis.

On 9 June, 2023, they reported that the Chair of the Lithuanian Jewish Community went in person to plea for the removal of the monument for Krikstaponis.

On 1 August 2023, they reported on the government’s continuing intransigence on removing the monument.

On 8 August, 2023, the Jewish Community of Lithuania again called on authorities to remove the monuments, and to revoke the honors for Krikstaponis.

The above refer only to the articles on the website of the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LZB). This subject has not gone unnoticed, and will not just disappear.

On 7 June, 2023, the Israeli American Civic Action Network saluted the US Government report to Congress on Lithuania’s Holocaust deceptions. They called the new law “Noreika Law”. The law is a sham, Lithuania will not apply it to murderers of Jews, these remain national heroes.

US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, issued a statement on 9 December 2021, calling for governments to stop distorting Holocaust history. This was in reference to Lithuania’s ongoing Holocaust deceptions.

The American government has been very outspoken on the issue of Lithuania’s Holocaust deceptions. The US State Department’s special envoy on Holocaust issues made unambiguous statements about Lithuania’s Holocaust deceptions.

The American and German governments have identified Lithuania’s Holocaust revisionism as promoting impunity for war criminals, normalizing antisemitism, racism, discrimination, and exclusion, increasing tensions between countries, and undermining public support for democratic institutions and values-based international structures.

On 17 July, 2023, the Government of Lithuania issued extremely deceptive talking points about the Holocaust. An indirect reference was made to Krikstaponis here: As much as commemoration of historical figures is linked to the municipal decisions the Government of Lithuania holds a dialogue with the local authorities concerning this issue. The Lithuanian government’s strategy is to deny, deflect, distract, confuse. Repeat. The national government is shifting blame onto municipalities for their own responsibilities.

Lithuanian defenses of Krikstaponis include

• It was someone else with the same name and same details, that person is unidentifiable. (This is their standard ploy for anyone or anything they do not like).
• The KGB forged the documents – Lithuanians were actually trying to save Jews.
• Eyewitnesses were lying
• He was just following orders

The Lithuanian Government makes clear how much they oppose Russian dishonesty.

Lithuania however, holds themselves to the opposite standard. This is why Lithuanian words are meaningless, only concrete actions are acceptable. The government points to a page dissecting Russian dishonesty, these screeds take their hypocrisy to heights unknown, even to Franz Kafka or George Orwell.

Expecting Lithuania or Russia to become truthful is as fanciful as expecting pigs to fly. Both are equally dishonest. Lithuania’s “sweet talking” has been repeatedly proven to be only denials, deflections, distractions, confusions, and then repeats. Sending their lies down rabbit holes of blaming municipalities and shifting responsibility between departments, is simply a game of distracting western powers. It is a twisted hall of mirrors, honoring the worst perpetrators in history. Their tide of disinformation cannot wash away the truth.

In 2017, Dr. Sužiedėlis said “this is harming Lithuania’s reputation which is important for defending national sovereignty”. Sužiedėlis says no one will want to defend a country with such a poor reputation. Lithuania is riding a bomb by displaying their true ideology to western powers.

Lithuania has made their national priorities very, very clear.

* – Headline and some content replicated from “Disinformation Review“. Purpose is to show their hypocrisy.