A German neo-Nazi member of the European Parliament has taken a seat in the parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, sparking outraged reactions from European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Jewish organisations, Euractiv.com, a news website specialized in EU affairs, reported.

Udo Voigt, the former leader of the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD), has praised Adolf Hitler, was convicted for glorifying the Waffen SS, and infamously claimed “no more than 340,000 Jews” had died in the Holocaust.

Voigt was elected to the European Parliament after his party gained 1% of Germany's vote in May 2014 European elections.

German intelligence classifies NPD as a far right extremist party. There was a failed attempt to ban the party in 2003. Another attempt, arguing its ideology is identical to Hitler’s, is currently in the German courts.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz, a member of Germany's Socialist Democratic Party, said, “Everyone who denies the Holocaust and who is against human dignity, democracy and plurality will encounter the strongest of resistance from me.

“The European Parliament is the place where the representatives of the European people work hard to ensure a good and peaceful future for us on our continent. There is no place for racists and anti-Semites in this house.”

The Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee, which is chaired by British Socialist MEP Claude Moraes, is responsible for the protection of citizens’ rights, human rights, and measures to combat discrimination.

Voigt is unattached to any political group of the European Parliament and the committee seats are divided among all unattached MEPs.