Lithuanian neo-Nazi youth group has been adopted onto a council which receives European Union funding.
The Union of Lithuanian Nationalist Youth (ULNY) was unanimously elected to the Lithuanian Council of Youth Organisations at a national conference last weekend.
ULNY is one of the leading organisers of Vilnius's annual Independence Day neo-Nazi march. International petitions were launched calling for this year's event, which took place on March 11, to be cancelled.
The LCYO umbrella group is the largest non-governmental youth organisation in Lithuania and is financially backed by both the government and the EU. It is made up of 64 groups and has a membership of more than 200,000 people.
The move means the fascist ULNY has equal footing with student groups and social organisations.
LCYO president Loreta Senkutė told Lithuanian media that the ULNY had explained its work before the vote took place and had received "great support".
There were 19 votes in favour of the ULNY's membership, with none against, and seven abstentions.