Combo says the atmosphere in Paris is 'heavier' since the attacks

Battered: Graffiti artist Combo suffered a dislocated shoulder after being attacked by a gang for painting a mural calling for religious harmony in Paris

A French graffiti artist has told how he was attacked by a gang after refusing to take down a mural calling for religious harmony in Paris.

The artist, known as Combo, 28, was left with a dislocated shoulder and bruises across his face after being set upon in a ghetto in the east of the capital.

He had just finished a design that featured the word 'coexist' written with a Muslim crescent for letter C, a Star of David as the X and a Christian cross as the 'T'.

It was accompanied by a life-size self-portrait and his tag 'combo'.

Four youths reportedly asked him to remove it and then attacked him when he refused, it was reported by Le Monde.

The attack has highlighted the religious tensions in the French capital that have flared up since last month's massacre at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper by Islamist extremists.

Combo, also known as the Culture Kidnapper, revealed details of the assault on his Facebook page.

'They were tired that I wasn't giving, so they left me bleeding and fled,' he wrote.

'They promised me the same treatment if I did it again and told me to shave off my beard.'

He declined to discuss the identity of his attackers, saying 'it would only add fuel to the fire', adding: 'I won't forgive them for what they did of course, but I won't seek revenge either.

'I filed a complaint with the police and I trust the French judicial system to do its job.'

When asked whether Paris had changed since the Islamist attacks, Combo said: 'It is different, clearly.

'The way people look at me especially. Not because of my origins I believe, but because of my beard.

Calling for peace: The design featured the word 'coexist' written with a Muslim crescent for the letter C, a Star of David as the X and a Christian cross as the 'T'. It was accompanied by a life-size self-portrait

'That being said, I'm not being paranoid and I'm very confident about the future. I'm forbidding myself to be pessimistic.

'The atmosphere is heavier than usual, but I only see it as temporary thing. It doesn't drastically change the way I work.

'We always had racism issues in France, especially towards Arabs. And the perception one may have, particularly from abroad, is clearly something that is fuelled by the media.'

The graffiti artist organised a campaign on Sunday in which participants pasted posters of the same mural he was beaten up for painting all across Paris.

Twelve people died when gunmen Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo.

A policewoman was shot dead the next morning.

Then there were four more fatalities in a Kosher store before three Al Qaeda and Islamic State-linked terrorists were themselves gunned down.

All three Paris terrorists were born and brought up on Paris sink estates, and had started out as street criminals.

Combo was beaten up for posting this mural but copies of it have now been pasted up across Paris