Intimidation or harassment did not help. In November last year, groups of nationalist youth were scaring the residents of Baltoji Vokė with fines of 2000 litas if they did not take off the plates with Polish street names. Mr Skaistys himself often drove around the area and took pictures of private houses with signs with street names in Polish. That was not very nice. Residents reported that police visited their private properties and urged to remove names in Polish without presenting any documents authorizing their actions. Anyway, everyone can evaluate how attempts to remove plates with Polish street names look like by watching famous TV program 'Aš myliu Lietuvą' (I love Lithuania), which captured an incident in Eišiškės. There were many more attempts but government officials met only strong resistance and persistence on the part of the Polish minority.

The so called 'guests' came and threatened our residents. They were ordinary liars and fraudsters because it is not true that ordinary people could be punished for hanging the street plates in the Polish language. Due to the fact that people see courts in Lithuania as impartial and not fair, scaring people with high fines took effect in some cases. I can provide proof to confirm my words that people cannot be punished for hanging plates with Polish street names. Well, I wrote a denunciation report to the State Language Inspectorate on myself stating that I use plates with Polish street names on my private property. After the statutory time I got an answer that I broke the law but I would not be punished for it. The fine, as for all others, would be paid by the director of administration. So far, I cannot understand how in a democratic country, which Lithuania wants to be, it is possible that others are punished for a one man crime.

Skaistys' failure and illusory gesture of kindness

Recently we have heard that the trials on the Polish street names end. Previously, the problem of bilingual plates was solved in Šalčininkai District, where Poles constitute 80 percent of the population. Plates with Polish names were left hanging on houses while plates with Lithuanian street names were hung on special pillars positioned on streets.

There was a similar incident in Vilnius District inhabited by 60 percent of Poles. And this was enough for the representative of the Government to conclude the matter closed. It is strange because the street plates in the state language have been already standing in dozens of Vilnius District areas, e.g. in Čekoniškės and Mostiškės, which were included on Mr Skaistys blacklist, for 3-4 years. Moreover, journalists harassed innocent people, made sensational stories but did not notice street names in the Lithuanian language. Now our representative's sight cleared (happened a miracle: he sees something he has not seen before and does not see something he has seen previously) and he said that everything is ok!? What has changed?

Boomerang returns

It is not a coincidence that cases of streets and places naming in Polish constantly returns to the districts of Vilnius and Šalčininkai. These incidents usually have a specific purpose. Most disputes about the plates in the Polish language were initiated during various political scandals on the central level. It is done in order to divert attention from real problems and take out the so called 'Polish Card'. Also, public officers inflame this topic to demonstrate that they are politically active. For example, in November 2008, Government representative for Vilnius District initiated a fuss about plates with street names in the Polish language in some areas of Vilnius and Šalčininkai Districts just before the expiry of his term. After a few weeks he was re-approved for another term. The present representative also tried to show that he was working.

We have been resolving the problem of street naming in Polish so many times but the case reappeared again and again. I doubt that during elections national parties will let go the main logo of their campaign, which claims that the Lithuanian language is in threat, that integrity of Lithuania is in danger or that Poles want too much. Our desires are minimal. We wish that Lithuania could comply with international treaties and agreements which it has signed. We want to live in dignity without discrimination and judicial persecution.

Who will compensate moral and material losses?

Following the adoption of ratification law by the Lithuanian Seimas on 17th February 2000 concerning the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Government of Lithuania has sent several resolutions to individual institutions with the imposition of the obligation to complete the legal loopholes and unify the legal system in the field of national minority rights and specified the deadlines of this process. 14 years have already passed but public officials respect only the laws which are beneficial to them or to the majority of Lithuanian residents. Meanwhile, Poles in Lithuania are harassed and held liable in courts under the same rules. Lithuanian authorities know of several cases in various institutions of the European Union concerning the violation of rights of national minorities and unjustified discrimination against own citizens and do nothing to stop these anti-European dealings. So we ask who will compensate the moral and material losses of our fellow citizens. This case has been going on for 15 years and we do not see the end of it. Court trials and explanations of our directors and officials did not bring any results. The fine of 43 thousand litas for Boleslav Daškevič, several fines for L. Kotlovska - who will restore peace among our citizens who were intimidated? The only compensation is the pride that we did not let them to break and harass us! Bilingual signs in the Polish language were, are and will be hanging on private houses in the Vilnius region as it is a will of owners and they have the right to hang these signs.

Force only in unity

This sudden blindness cannot be accepted as an alleviating factor or as a friendly gesture of the Lithuanian authority towards the Polish minority. It is caused by our stubbornness, increased strength of EAPL, especially after the recent electoral successes and the fact that in the recent reports of international and European organizations there is more and more criticism directed towards Lithuanian authorities and their activities against national minorities.

We have won the case of Polish street plates. A few years ago we also won the case of using signs in the Polish language in the sphere of tourism, trade, and services and once again we proved that our force is in unity. Our residents showed their beautiful position as citizens and our politicians and local government authorities defended their inhabitants with determination. We are honest and loyal citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and it is not us who break the law. The international law regarding national minorities (our rights!) is broken by successive representatives of the Government through courts. But even in such situation we are able to win!

Renata Cytacka