A Patriotic New Addington resident has branded as "disgraceful" the council's order that he remove his poster supporting British soldiers from a communal area of his building.
Joseph Gunstone, of Thorpe Close, was told on Tuesday the poster supporting military charity Help for Heroes had to come down because it blocked the view through a glass door.
The 55-year-old had proudly pinned the poster, published in The Sun newspaper in the wake of last Wednesday's killing of soldier Lee Rigby, just inside his building's entrance.
But on Tuesday, he said, a council officer rang his bell and said the poster had to come down due to "a complaint" – before tearing taking down the image.
Mr Gunstone said: "I think it is disgraceful.
"I am very proud of our soldiers. If I were younger and fitter, I would be in the Army myself.
"People are dying left and right over there, and over here now."
A Croydon Council spokesman confirmed on Wednesday it had removed the poster following a complaint.
"The poster was on a glass door, and therefore it restricted the view out of the door," he added, confirming safety reasons were not behind the move.
He added that the council would be speaking with to Mr Gunstone to see if he could about displaying the poster elsewhere in the communal area.
He said: "Croydon Council is a strong supporter of our armed forces, and we were the first local authority in London to launch a community covenant with the military, to give greater support and access to services for servicemen and women and their families.
"We want them to know how much we value the contribution they make to our society and we are proud to stand up for them and to help in any way we can.
"That is why we understand that it's important to many people to show support for our armed forces, and we will be speaking to Mr Gunstone about displaying the poster in the communal hallway."
Mr Gunstone added: "Are we coming to a world where we cannot support our troops?
"I am proud of my heritage. My dad was a paratrooper."
