Lithuania’s president has rejected an appeal by a neo- Nazi group to be officially recognized as a political group.
President Valdus Adamkus denied the request because he is “convinced that a democratic society cannot put up with organizations instigating racial and religious discord,” according to a presidential spokesman.
The neo-Nazi group, known as the Lithuanian National Socialist Union, had pledged to “clean” the country of all its minorities.
Founded two years ago in the northern Lithuanian city of Siauliai, the group claims to have 800 members. The group’s flag bears a white swastika on a red background.
The National Socialists had appealed to the president to override an earlier Justice Ministry decision not to grant registration to the organization.
But the president’s spokesman said, “The head of state does not and will not interfere” in registering political parties and public organizations, which comes under the Justice Ministry.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
