Man told to stay away from flags after mural clash

Messages including "All Welcome" and "Kindness is our strength" were defaced on Friday evening

A man who was charged after messages in support of asylum seekers were scribbled out on a wall mural was told to stay away from flags.

Dean Copping, 42, of Holmes Close, Norwich, has been barred from being in possession of a flag in a public place as part of his bail conditions.

The restrictions have been imposed by police after he was charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, with intent to cause harassment or distress.

It came following an incident on Dereham Road on 12 September, where locals clashed with a group of people who removed a mural with words like "show racism the red card" on it.

Other messages on the mural, written by families living nearby, included "everyone's streets".

But within hours, an opposing group had scribbled the messages out with chalk.

The incident happened during a week of tense clashes in the normally quiet neighbourhood, sparked by flaggers hoisting national flags upon lampposts, including outside a mosque.

Locals criticised the flags, calling them an "act of intimidation", and took it upon themselves to remove them, sparking further arguments between those putting them up.

But members of the flaggers insist their motivation was to spread a message of "unity", not division, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Messages on the boards on Dereham Road were defaced

Labour councillors in the Norwich area called for the flags to be removed by Norfolk County Council, but the authority said it would only remove them if they were discovered during routine maintenance work.

Mr Copping was also banned from entering Dereham Road, between Waterworks Road and the Hotblack Road/Bowthorpe Road junction, unless in a moving vehicle.

He was told he cannot attend any protests in Norfolk and was released on bail until his court appearance at Norwich Magistrates' Court on 4 November.

A woman in her 40s was also arrested following the incident on suspicion of common assault and was released on bail until 10 October.