A SWANSEA man told by his landlords he would have to take down a flag supporting the Armed Forces has demanded an apology.
Josh Wren, 26, said he was left disgusted following a visit from a Coastal Housing officer who told him he had to take down the official Armed Forces Day flag from the balcony of his property in Cwm Road, Hafod.
The chef, who hails from Northern Ireland, said he wasn't told why it had to be removed.
A spokeswoman for Coastal said they had received no complaint over the item but they consider it inappropriate to have a flag on a building for a period of time.
Mr Wren said: "My father served for more than 20 years, in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.
"I had a knock at the door on Tuesday and it was a housing officer.
"I thought it was quite strange, as I hadn't had any issues with Coastal since I have been living here for the past four years.
"All she said was that it needs to come down. I asked why and she said it just needs to. She didn't mention there had been a complaint or anything.
"I was more disgusted than shocked about it. Being an Ulsterman and with my father being in the forces, it is part of my culture.
"It is still up at the moment, and I have refused to take it down. I even put it up last year and there was no issue.
"I would like some sort of apology. It's like asking someone to take down their Christmas lights.
"I don't think it's offensive. Whether you agree with recent wars or not, you can show support. They are doing their jobs, people's children are dying."
A spokeswoman for Coastal said: "We understand that Mr Wren wishes to display a flag for a day to show his support for a cause that is clearly very important to him.
"We have no complaint about him displaying the flag on his balcony on Armed Forces Day.
"However, we consider it inappropriate to have a flag flying on the building for an extended period.
"Other people may also wish to display flags for causes or organisations that they support and this would affect the appearance of the building. It may also displease other residents.
"We always aim to do what we can to accommodate residents' wishes and hope to reach agreement with Mr Wren so that he may fly the Armed Forces Flag on the appropriate day."
Armed Forces Day will take place on Saturday, June 29.
