An internet campaign to stop the winner of British television's top show from once again claiming the coveted Christmas number one single has triumphed against the odds.

US rap metal band Rage Against The Machine's expletive-ridden 1992 hit Killing In The Name, which has lyrics about rebelling against control, saw off Joe McElderry, the winner of this year's The X Factor singing contest, in the battle for the festive top spot.

A campaign on Facebook was set up in a bid to stop student McElderry's version of Miley Cyrus's The Climb from becoming a fifth straight X Factor shoo-in for the Christmas number one slot.

Killing In The Name sold more than 500,000 copies in the past week while The Climb chalked up sales of 450,000.

Killing In The Name was not available as a single on CD and is the first download-only Christmas number one, and achieved the biggest download sales total in a first week ever in the British charts.

"As we have seen in recent years, overhauling any X Factor winner in the race for the Christmas number one is no mean achievement," said the official UK Charts Company's managing director Martin Talbot.

"The popular support we have seen for the record this week has been truly amazing, and handed them two all-time records."

Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zack de la Rocha told BBC radio: "We are very ecstatic and excited about the song reaching number one. We want to thank everyone who has participated in this incredible organic grassroots campaign."

"It says more about the spontaneous action taken by young people throughout the UK to topple this very sterile pop monopoly and less about the song and the band.

"We are very proud to have had the song chosen as the vehicle by which to do this.

"It's a great moment as they make what is seemingly impossible, possible."

The Californian said a "large portion" of the sales profits would be donated to a British homelessness charity and the band would perform a free gig in 2010 as promised if they got to number one.

Joe McElderry said: "Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign - it's been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations."

"This time last year I never thought for one minute that I'd win The X Factor, never mind about having a debut single out, so I'm just delighted to be in the charts.

"It's been such an incredible couple of months and I got the best Christmas gift I could ever have asked for in winning The X Factor."

- AFP