[25][26] In May 2023, Remigijus Žemaitaitis published antisemitic comments on Facebook, in which he claimed that “the Jews and Russians” oppressed ethnic Lithuanians during the Second World War and were responsible for the 1944 massacre of the village of Pirčiupiai.

[33] Around that time, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė asked the parliament to strip Žemaitaitis of his legal immunity, stating that the pre-trial investigation suggests that Žemaitaitis “publicly ridiculed, expressed contempt for, and incited hatred against a group of people of Jewish nationality”,[34] after which the politician announced bid for presidency as the candidate of Dawn of Nemunas.

[36] Agnė Širinskienė, former member of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, and Aidas Gedvilas and Artūras Skardžius, formerly from the Labour Party, joined Dawn of Nemunas on 19 June 2024.

[39] Ahead of the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė of the Homeland Union and President Gitanas Nausėda warned parties against forming a coalition with Dawn of Nemunas due to Žemaitaitis' antisemitic statements.

[43][44] On 8 November, the New York Times published an article about the political party, focusing largely on Žemaitaitis' reputation for antisemitism.

[45][46] The same day, over thirty non-governmental organizations based in Lithuania signed an open letter to the Social Democrats against allowing Dawn of Nemunas in the government, stating that the party's inclusion would harm human rights, democracy, and national security, as well as the country's international reputation.

[48][49] Further criticism came from German MPs Roderich Kiesewetter and Michael Roth,[50] Polish senator Michał Kamiński,[51] and the Israeli embassy.

[52] Both Remigijus Žemaitaitis and presumptive Prime Minister (LSDP deputy chair) Gintautas Paluckas claimed that the foreign outcry had been instigated by their political opponents.

[64][65] According to Žemaitaitis, the party leans "centre-left on social issues related to people’s wellbeing", but is "on the right when it comes to what makes statehood – our language, culture and national identity".

[67] According to political scientist Virgis Valentinavičius, Žemaitaitis deliberately invokes common antisemitic tropes such as "Jewish parasites" to attract poorly educated voters.

[68][69] Linas Kojala, director of the Eastern Europe Studies Centre think tank, said "it's very hard to describe what kind of ideology they represent and where they stand on the scale of left to right.

Conversely, it rejects the European Union’s "green" agricultural programs and supports concessions for small and medium-sized businesses.