DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — Hundreds of bikers, veterans and supporters of the Confederacy celebrated the raising of one of the biggest Confederate flags in the country to protest a decision by the Danville City Council to remove the flag from city property.

The Danville Register & Bee reports (http://goo.gl/wJGYxA ) that supporters of the Confederate flag used a hydraulic crane Saturday to raise a 30 foot by 50 foot flag while others fired off rifles and cannons in salute.

The roadside flag-raising was the latest protest against an August decision by the Danville City Council to only allow certain flags to be flown on city-owned property, excluding the Confederate flag.