Lithuania's Social Democrats, winners of last month's parliamentary election, defended on Saturday their decision to form a coalition government with a populist party whose leader is standing trial over alleged antisemitic statements.

A new coalition includes a party led by a politician notorious for antisemitic remarks, another blow to the longstanding refusal by Europe’s mainstream parties to join with those seen as extremist.

Lithuania’s constitutional court this year ruled that Remigijus Zemaitaitis, a former deputy speaker of parliament, violated his oath as a representative by using antisemitic language in a Facebook post criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda on Monday criticised the Social Democrats' decision to form a government with a party whose leader is accused of antisemitic statements and said he would block its ministers from taking power.

Lithuania’s Jewish community urged the Baltic nation’s president to intervene to prevent a party involved in an antisemitic scandal from becoming part of a new ruling coalition. Most Read from BloombergThe Leaf Blowers Will Not Go QuietlyArizona Elections Signal Robust Immigration Enforcement Under TrumpScoring an Architectural Breakthrough in Denver’s RiNo DistrictKey Ballot Initiatives and Local Races Highlight Views on Abortion,