NEWPORT is set to see a "public display of mourning" to mark the demolition of the city's Chartist mural.

The Wales Green Party is orgainsing the demonstration tomorrow in John Frost Square, and is asking people to wear black.

Party leader Pippa Bartolotti 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.”

The city's iconic mural was demolished yesterday, two days before a demonstration was planned to call for it to be saved.

Yesterday Newport City Council said the mural was in a "very precarious position, as it is attached to the wall of the multi-storey car park which is extremely unsafe". They said has had to take immediate action "with regards to pre-demolition preparations and safety precautions" prior to major demolition work starting at the end of this month.