CAMPAIGNERS marched through Newport on Saturday to mark a year since the city’s Chartist Mural was controversially torn down to make way for a new shopping development.

About 30 people, many from the Save Our Chartist Mural group, started from St Woolos Cathedral at noon and followed the route Chartists took on the Newport Rising of November 4 1839 down Stow Hill, finishing outside the Westgate Hotel.

Later on Saturday, the procession moved down Commercial Street, past the Newport Food Festival and to the bottom of Llanarth Street. It stopped close to where the mural once stood - the area now forms part of the new multi-million Friars Walk redevelopment.

The chairman of Save Our Chartist Mural Peter Rawcliffe, who spoke at the rally, told the Argus: "We had a lot of support from the people of Newport. It reinforced the message: we want to remind the council that in demolishing the mural they betrayed the Chartists and what they stood for.

“We want to move forward with the council and with the commission to make Newport a place of the people, for the people."

A commission, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Newport West AM Dame Rosemary Butler, is looking into what might replace the destroyed relic.

The mural was completed in 1978 to commemorate the uprising, in which 22 Chartists were shot dead. Designed by English artist Kenneth Budd and made up of 200,000 pieces of glass and tile, it was 35 metres long and four metres high.

On Saturday afternoon campaigners later danced to jazz music played by Cardiff group Wonderbrass who had been booked to play at the food festival and followed them back down Commercial Street.

Chrissie Wilson, who had made badges to commemorate the march, accused the council of behaving like “cultural vandals”, intent on destroying the mural regardless of views in the city.

Wales Green Party leader and Newport resident Pippa Bartolotti criticised the council’s “dictactorial attitude” and added: “This time last year they knocked down the mural in the full knowledge we wanted to save it.”

Richard Atkin applauded the marchers on their way past him at the bottom of Stow Hill. He said he supported the group’s criticisms of the council’s conduct.

He said: “It was an underhand way of doing things. Newport deserves better.”

Rogerstone councillor Chris Evans watched the speeches made at the bottom of the Llanarth Street. He said: “They are exercising their democratic right. The leader of the council has already apologised, which was big of him. We need to be reminded of past mistakes that we can learn from.”