UK Award-winning fish and chip shop is ordered to remove Union flag mural by council officials 'because it's inappropriate for the area' - Chris Kanizi, 65, has vowed to keep the mural up as long as possible

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13206731/fish-chip-shop-ordered-remove-Union-flag-mural.html

https://archive.ph/psC4j

An award-winning fish and chip shop has been ordered to remove a Union flag mural by council officials over claims it is 'inappropriate for the area'.

Chris Kanizi, 65, who owns Golden Chippy, in Greenwich, south-east London, has been told to paint over the mural of the humanoid fish on the wall of his restaurant, which has been adored by tourists.

Greenwich council said they received a 'number of complaints' about the mural, which features the phrase 'A Great British Meal', they said was an 'unauthorised advert'.

Mr Kansizi, who has been running Golden Chippy for 20 years and lives two doors down, said he doesn't believe people were complaining about the mural, which was deemed 'inappropriate' according to the Telegraph.

Back in 2016, the 65-year-old had a battle with the council over a 17ft sign above the door of his restaurant, which was previously named London's top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor. The restaurateur eventually took down the 17ft sign in 2018.

The new mural, which was painted by local artists Graffiti Interiors, is a recreation of the 2016 sign.


Pictured: Golden Chippy owner Chris Kanizi standing beside the Union Flag mural painted on the side of his restaurant

He said: 'It's just something to put a smile on people's faces. But the council said "this is a preservation area - you can't have that and you've got to paint over it".

'They also said people had been complaining, but I don't believe that. Everyone who has talked to me say they love it'.

The Cyprus-born chip shop owner, who came to the UK in 1977, previously had a two-year battle with the council over a similar 17ft sign he hung above the door in 2016.

Mr Kansizi eventually took the sign down despite starting a petition to keep the sign which gathered 3,000 signatures.

And the fish and chips expert has vowed to keep the £250 mural up for as long as possible.

He said: 'I'm going to stick it out for as long as I can. They haven't given me a date to paint over it yet, but they will.'

'I've got so many international customers. They all like taking a photo with the mural in the background.'

A Greenwich council spokesman said: 'Following a number of complaints made to local ward councillors, an enforcement case was raised about the mural in question.

'Our Planning Enforcement team is investigating this as it is effectively an unauthorised advert for the chip shop. The owner has agreed to paint over it.

'We will always try to negotiate with the owner before proceeding to a formal planning enforcement notice.'

 

[Cpl. Long Dong Silver]

What a sad country to live in.

 

[The Punished Mitch]

The UK really is the worlds largest open air prison, just terrible.

If this pseudo-Turkroach had any balls he'd replace the mural with a proud fat-lipped negress munching down on a kebab while holding a Palestinian flag.

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

He should put some Muslim flag up there and put the fish in a burqa.

 

[SiccDicc]

Replace it with the Gadsden Flag.

 

[Tootsie Bear]

What was that wacko thinking? Doesn't he understand his business is in Londonistan?

 

[Harkalar]

Sorry, but, “Oi, you got a’er loisence for dat murrel?”

 

[KiwiFuzz2]

Imagine moving to another continent and being SHOCKED I SAY at seeing the flag and national cuisine of the place you moved to.

 

[Kiwi Yuga]

To be fair, if this is in an historic area where everything has that vintage, pre-industrial look to it, the mural is extremely tacky and would look retarded. The headline is baiting the same crowd of people who get outraged over "american flag removed from school because it offends muslims" stories, but this doesn't look like that is what is going on. A lot of places have municipal codes meant to preserve the cultural/historic character of a neighborhood and there isn't anything wrong with that. Get rid of those building codes if you want everything to be cube apartment buildings with no sovl.

 

[Character from a movie]

Kanizi

Kansizi

Kanizi

Kansizi

WHICH ONE IS IT YOU FUCKING DISLEXIC NIGGER

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

He should put some Muslim flag up there and put the fish in a burqa

EA games would’ve done this Unironically.

 

[FrancineCansMcGee]

All those uniquely painted bricks yearn to be just another brick in the wall.

 

[Kosher Dill]

A lot of places have municipal codes meant to preserve the cultural/historic character of a neighborhood and there isn't anything wrong with that.

That's true, but it feels like a shame that the last patriot living in the wild is being forced out of its habitat. Doesn't Britain have an endangered species law?

 

[ToroidalBoat]

Can you imagine someone in Kenya being told to remove a Kenyan flag because it was "inappropriate for the area"?

 

[derpherp2]

I got lost in their menu.

I miss when there was a restaurant like this nearby ngl

 

[Otterly]

It’s a conservation area. We have one very near me and if you paint your door a non approved colour the council with send the spetznaz out to make you paint it something approved.
Having said that - the wall was painted plain white before so he’s not damaged the brick. There are also Palestinian flags having from council flagpoles all over London and nobody removes them, so this is clearly some twat at the council disliking a Union Jack.
If they had any sense they’d allow a mural but in the style of say 1920s London, make it a really nice classic one.

 

[InsulindianPhasmid]

To be fair, if this is in an historic area where everything has that vintage, pre-industrial look to it, the mural is extremely tacky and would look retarded. The headline is baiting the same crowd of people who get outraged over "american flag removed from school because it offends muslims" stories, but this doesn't look like that is what is going on. A lot of places have municipal codes meant to preserve the cultural/historic character of a neighborhood and there isn't anything wrong with that. Get rid of those building codes if you want everything to be cube apartment buildings with no sovl.

This is accurate. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Union Jack (despite the headline which is pure click bait) and everything to do with local regulations regarding advertising. There was a very similar case in my area years ago where a local businessman commissioned a huge mural on the side of his shop to advertise its products. The mural was cool and didn’t have any flags or symbols on it that anyone would find offensive but the local town planning department came down on him Like a tonne of bricks and he had to paint over it.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

From the looks of things this is the sign he used to have.

Knowing local councils I bet they've had arguments about the planters too



Apparently people also complained about this other chippy in the area, I wonder why?

To be fair, if this is in an historic area where everything has that vintage, pre-industrial look to it, the mural is extremely tacky and would look retarded.

Doesn't look like it, had a skim over the street view in the area.

 

[Tablet County]

What kind of nation censors its own flag? Not even America does that.
And the Confederate flag doesn't count. Get fucked Johnny Reb.

 

[The Skeksis Emperor]

A lot of places have municipal codes meant to preserve the cultural/historic character of a neighborhood and there isn't anything wrong with that.

Eh, there's something wrong with it when it becomes dogmatic. My country does this too, they forget that preserving history is great but people right now also have a right to live their lives. Having him take down the huge sign is reasonable, but this is going too far imo. It's a small mural and actually does fit the historical area in theme. They can paint over it when the shop is eventually closed and no harm will be done done.