Dr Sentamu said the city should not 'sleepwalk into a wall of hate'

In his advert headlined "For God's Sake York, Use Your Vote", Dr John Sentamu also warned voters to be wary of dangers posed by some political groups.

In the local paper The Press, he said not voting created a political vacuum, leaving the way open for politicians who offerd "bile and discord".

The BNP is fielding candidates for the first time in the city this year.

'Desert of hopelessness'

The party has put up candidates in nine wards.

In the advert, Dr Sentamu says: "Democracy costs. I am paying for this advert as a symbol of the cost paid by all those who gave so much so that you might be able to use your vote.

"Not voting creates a political vacuum, leaving the way open to unrepresentative politicians and parties to get their way."

The advert refers to the memory of the 12th Century anti-Semitic massacre in York's Clifford's Tower, in which 150 Jews died.

It says: "There are those seeking your vote whose actions betray the lives of those who fought for freedom.

"Jesus warned us to be wary of wolves who come in sheep's clothing.

"They come with honeycombed words, promising a New England, and a land of milk and honey. In reality they offer us a diet of bile and discord, a desert of hopelessness and policies which stoke the ashes of Clifford's Tower."

Ian Dawson, the BNP's York agent, said the Archbishop "was entitled to his opinion".

But, he said: "People are getting sick and tired of getting told who to and who not to vote for."