Haider heckled by anti-Nazi protesters during London visit

A war memorial outside the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London features five soldiers staring intently into the distance above the the inscription: "From mud, through blood, to the green fields beyond."

Yesterday, as anti-Nazi protesters looked on in the same direction, awaiting the arrival of the far-right Austrian politician Jörg Haider, one couldn't help wondering what the old soldiers would have made of it all.

Mr Haider, a Nazi apologist, was in town to promote Carinthia, the province that he governs and with which the low-cost airline Ryanair has agreed a new route.

But during a press conference at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, the Alpine beauty of southern Austria came low down on the agenda and, within three hours of his arrival, Mr Haider had labelled Tony Blair "right-wing" and claimed that the EU was adopting immigration policies for which he had been labelled racist 10 years ago.

Ryanair had been desperate all week to distance itself from Mr Haider's visit, claiming it had never intended to promote the route through the governor, a man who once said that the SS should be honoured. The event was staged by the Austrian Tourist Board but was supposed to be a joint celebration, Mr Haider said.

"We had a press conference [planned] together when we signed the treaty," he said. "The chief executive officer of Ryanair came to Carinthia and we celebrated his birthday and signed the deal. Now they are being careful because they do not want to get involved in political debate. That is OK."

It is easy to see why Ryanair did not want to be associated with Mr Haider (It even made him pay ¤19 for his airline ticket). As the man who pulls the strings of the far-right Freedom Party, he has advocated "foreigner-free" immigration policies and made frightening revisionist statements. On one occasion, he described Nazi concentration camps as "penal" camps.

Tanned, dressed immaculately in a pin-striped suit and candy-striped tie, Mr Haider occasionally had to raise his voice to be heard over protesters who sneaked into the hotel and chanted "Nazi".

Asked how he felt about the opposition to his visit, he replied: "It is allowed in European democracies to express an opinion."

He said he was satisfied by recent EU moves to get tougher on immigration, claiming so-called moderate politicians had stolen his policies. "With a delay of nearly 10 years, the EU has accepted the challenge of immigration policy," he said. "When I did this, I was accused and attacked and labelled racist and fascist by political opponents for demanding a controlled immigration policy."

Mr Haider said it was a mistake to enlarge the EU too quickly, saying it should be done step by step. He said he had no regrets of any statements he had made in the past, and said it was wrong to apply labels to politicians. "Take Tony Blair," he said. "He is labelled as Labour but if you read his programme and watch his activities, he is right-wing."

Mr Blair can take some comfort after Mr Haider's comments. The governor said he would not be standing for Chancellor in the Austrian elections next year, in spite of a growth in the popularity of his party. "I am elected governor of Carinthia and that period lasts until 2004," he said. "The general election in Austria happens in 2003 so I am not free to run for another political office because I have promised my people I will stay for my full term." When asked if that meant he would never run for national office in the future, he said only that he wanted to "keep promises" to those who elected him.

Ryanair issued a statement saying that it had no role in the press conference.