The graffiti urged Mieli to get out of RAI

Paolo Mieli, the former editor of the daily Corriere della Sera, has also angered centre-right politicians by insisting on the re-instatement of two left-wing journalists at the TV.

There are now doubts over whether Mr Mieli, who is regarded as being close to the opposition, will accept the appointment.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says Italy's state broadcaster, funded partly by licence fees and partly by advertising, has always been highly politicised, and top jobs are traditionally awarded to supporters of whoever happens to be in government.

But Mr Mieli was appointed by parliament on Friday in an attempt to head off left-wing charges that the government was attempting to monopolise the media.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as a media magnate, already controls large parts of Italy's press, TV and radio, and has been accused of conflict of interest between his public and business roles.

Mieli was appointed on Friday

Officials found anti-semitic graffiti daubed on the front of RAI's Milan headquarterson Sunday morning, together with the insignia of a neo-fascist group.

"RAI for Italians. Not to the Jews. Mieli get out," it read.

Mr Berlusconi offered his support to the chairman-elect, describing the graffiti as "ignoble and intolerable".

Mr Mieli also received the backing of European Commission President Romano Prodi.

"Knowing you, I am sure this cowardly attack will in no way frighten you and contribute to strengthening your high commitment as guarantor of Italian TV," he said.

But the leader of the right-wing Northern League, Umberto Bossi, described the incident as a "put-up job" organised by the left to win favour for Mr Mieli.

"This is the left inventing itself a martyr," he said in a newspaper interview. "It's a dirty trick by red Nazis."

Crisis point

Berlusconi has been accused of conflict of interest

For months now, Italian state television, whose independence is supposed to be guaranteed by law, has been in a state of crisis.

The crisis came to a head last week with the resignation of the chairman of the board, Antonio Baldassare.

RAI's outgoing board of governors had approved a proposal to move the headquarters of one state TV channel to Milan from Rome, a gift to the Northern League, which is one of Mr Berlusconi's key political allies,.

This aroused howls of protest from the opposition, who accused Mr Berlusconi of failing to respect the independence of the state broadcaster.