There will be a public display of mourning at 12.00 on 5thOctober as hundreds of Newport residents gather in John Frost Square to mark the demolition of one of the city’s historic landmarks. Attendees are requested to wear black.
On 3rd October Newport City Council took the decision to demolish the much loved Chartists Mural leading off from John Frost Square just 2 days before a mass protest action was planned to prevent it.
Many thousands of people had petitioned to have it preserved and re-sited.
Pippa Bartolotti, Leader of Wales Green Party, and Newport resident said: “Newport City Council could not have painted themselves in a worse light. I watched the ruthless demolition of this symbol of human dignity for which many good men died, and found myself shaking with disgust.
“To utterly destroy the Chartist Mural in favour of a development by multinational corporations symbolises the dire state of our society. The Labour administration of Newport City Council have abandoned all pretence of representing the people who put them there. Just like the Tories before them, they have hung taxpayers honest money on a massive retail emporium. The terrible irony is that increasing austerity will mean that few will have the money to spend in it.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/chartist_01.shtml
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