In a letter to Kirill, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Mr Yerofeev apologised for inadvertently hurting the feeling of believers, but blasted the church for siding with a group of anti-Semitic, militant radicals.

ECONOMIST: Church and state in Russia

But, unlike other (much smaller) parties in Austria, Mr Haider's group has never promoted itself as neo-Nazi, nor has its leader expressed anti-Semitic views.

ECONOMIST: Austria��s rancid choice