Lithuanian Tourist Industry Suffers Setback
by Ron Smith grow your businessAlready crippled by coronavirus
and the hiatus which has blindsided the tourist industry, the Lithuanian
economy is tragically scheduled for another setback, writes Pieter Muller. At the heart of the complication is an ill-conceived
plan by the Lithuanian government to construct
a conference centre, on the grounds of an Old
Jewish cemetery in Vilnius (Shnipishok), Lithuania.
The proposal has been opposed by international leaders
and religious representatives of all faiths. More recently, Evangelical
Christians have denounced the government proposal arguing that the construction
of the conference centre is a clear desecration of the cemetery and
dishonorable to the deceased who are buried on the plot.
Dr. Mathew Anthony Harper,
a talk show host host on a Christian radio network which has over 20 million
listeners stated that evangelical Christians will boycott tourism in Lithuania,
if plans to construct the conference centre are not cancelled. According to a
2016 count, evangelicals are represented by approximately 619 million
members.
The old
Jewish cemetery in Shnipishok was the first Jewish
cemetery established in Vilna. It is also the final resting place of tens of
thousands of Jewish scholars. Accordingly, the international
Jewish community have rallied to oppose the
construction of the conference centre.
The impact of the
government’s decision to proceed with the development of the conference centre
means that thousands of jobs in the tourist sector in Lithuania will be lost.
Additionally, EU politicians have expressed concern that the government is fanning anti-semitic sentiments,
in violation of the European Union Charter of Human Rights.
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Pieter Muller
Human Rights World Monitor
Website: https://scottdonaldinfo.kinja.com/lithuanian-government-seen-as-fostering-anti-semitism-1843821582
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Created on Jun 1st 2020 23:19. Viewed 215 times.