A 24-hour protest is being planned for Belfast City Hall over the Union flag.

It is more than two years since the controversial decision to fly the Union flag from the building on only designated days.

Two years and almost two months have passed since Belfast councillors voted on December 3, 2012 to switch from permanent displays to designated days.

The decision – backed by Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance – led to two months of protests including street disorder and violent incidents.

There were also attacks on the offices of Alliance Party councillors.

Alliance was blamed by loyalists since its representatives held the balance of power on the council, but the protests dwindled after DUP leader Peter Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, along with other unionist leaders, set up the Unionist Forum.

A weekly protest held outside the gates of City Hall every Saturday afternoon attracted significant support from East Belfast, where large marches, which disrupted trade, were organised. The protest is ongoing, but now attracts just a handful of supporters.

The UDA-linked UPRG, which was also involved in forming the forum, has been involved in a social media dispute with prominent flag protester Jamie Bryson.

Bryson and the LPP were left fuming after UPRG spokesman Sam ‘Chalky’ White described the flag protesters as being “far right” in political terms.

The LPP was also disappointed after it was not invited to a seminar on the Union flag protests held at Queen’s University last week.