Lithuanian blogger says Belarusian bars in Vilnius a threat. Why?

There are several Belarusian eateries in Vilnius. No claims have ever been made against them, everything is in accordance with the law. But Lithuanian blogger and activist Zilvinas Svitojus recently wrote a big post about the threat he sees in them. Some commentators actively supported him.

Why is Svitojus unhappy?
 

"In Vilnius we have reached a situation that we did not face even during the Soviet occupation - the spread and use of the Russian language," Svitojus wrote.

He heard Russian spoken in Belarusian bars. However, he says, him using Belarusian establishments as examples is "more of a coincidence, because I don't know any Russian establishments of this type yet".

At the Pahonia bar, Svitojus complained about difficulties with service in Lithuanian. "The bartender even got confused when I started speaking Lithuanian," he added.

But that's not all: "By the way, have you seen a Lithuanian pub whose emblem and name could be our coat of arms? I wonder how they feel about respecting the symbols and language of 'their' nation?" writes Svitojus, referring to the emblem "Pahonia" in the pub.

But the Belarusian and Lithuanian "Pahonia" are different.

In "Karchma 1863" the blogger also did not like that "everyone speaks Russian, at best - Belarusian". He also didn't like the activities there.

"On the page of "Karchma" in Facebook you can learn that they celebrate various Belarusian holidays and even the Irish Valentine's Day. But Lithuanian holidays don't seem to exist," he complained.

The activist also mentioned that the restaurant is collecting signatures for the study of the Belarusian language in schools.

"What kind of integration can we talk about if public institutions that have been working for several years can't find a single person who speaks Lithuanian? What closer ties with Lithuanians can we talk about? How can we talk about integration if there is no Lithuanian culture, traditions and holidays in these institutions?" he concluded.

Within 24 hours, the post has received less than a hundred "shares" and 245 comments. Among those who shared the post is scandalous presenter Algis Ramanauskas, who recently called Belarusians "biomass."