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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Charges follow 'flags protest' | Charges follow 'flags protest' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Four men have been charged with public order offences after a crowd allegedly tried to remove tricolours which had put up in Banbridge. | Four men have been charged with public order offences after a crowd allegedly tried to remove tricolours which had put up in Banbridge. |
| A crowd of up to 70 loyalists gathered in Peggy's Loaning around 2100 BST on Tuesday and tried to put up a union flag before the police moved in. | A crowd of up to 70 loyalists gathered in Peggy's Loaning around 2100 BST on Tuesday and tried to put up a union flag before the police moved in. |
| They moved to Banbridge police station before dispersing around midnight. | They moved to Banbridge police station before dispersing around midnight. |
| The four men who are aged 18, 22, 27 and 29 will appear in court in Newry on on 3 September. | The four men who are aged 18, 22, 27 and 29 will appear in court in Newry on on 3 September. |
| They face charges including unlawful assembly, riotous behaviour and assault on police. | They face charges including unlawful assembly, riotous behaviour and assault on police. |
| One of the protestors, who gave his name as Chris, told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show that the police had been told earlier on Tuesday that there would be a protest if the flags were not removed. | |
| He said the police had not taken this seriously so they decided they would attempt to remove the flags. | |
| "The PSNI made a roadblock, there was a peaceful protest and we decided to put a union jack up on one of the lamp posts," he continued. | |
| "The ladders went up and one of the fellas put a union jack up and the police started their charge." | |
| He said the protestors had no weapons and did not believe they had acted in a way likely to intimidate. | |
| "There was members of the public also coming from out of the houses around that estate that were also in a show of support," he said. |