Anger at the presence of Confederate symbols on public property in the US south is growing.
The
Confederate battle flag has been removed from Alabama's state capitol
and Mississippi officials have urged the state flag have the emblem
removed.
The backlash against the flag was sparked by a mass shooting at a black church in South Carolina last week.
Nine worshippers were killed and the suspected gunman has appeared in photos holding the flag.
Police believe the slaughter at a bible study group last week was racially motivated.
The New York Times reported that the US Department of Justice "will likely file federal hate crime charges" against Dylann Roof.
His
embracing of the flag, which was the battle flag of the southern
states, has prompted politicians to shift positions on this once revered
emblem of southern identity.
Four Confederate flags were taken
down from a Civil War monument outside the state capitol in Montgomery,
Alabama, after Governor Robert Bentley said he did not want the flag to
be a "distraction".
Meanwhile, debate has been revived in Mississippi over the presence of a
smaller version of the rebel flag within the current state flag.
Mississippi's House Speaker has called for the state flag to be
changed and Senator Roger Wicker has said it should be in a museum.
"I
have not viewed Mississippi's current state flag as offensive," Mr
Wicker said, but said many of his fellow citizens "feel differently" and
"our state flag increasingly portrays a false impression of our state
to others".
Other developments around the south include:
South Carolina - Governor Nikki Haley and several
prominent leaders have called on the state's legislature to remove the
flag from the statehouse grounds
Georgia - Governor Nathan Deal says the state will redesign a car licence plate that features the flag
Virginia - Governor Terry McAuliffe says he wants licence plates featuring the flag to be replaced
Mississippi - State House Speaker Philip Gunn has
called for the state to remove a smaller version of the rebel flag that
is inset in the state's official flag
Kentucky - US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
has called for the removal of Confederate President Jefferson Davis'
statue from the state Capitol's rotunda
Opposition to the flag in southern political circles has been
mirrored in the commercial world, with major retailers like Amazon and
Walmart removing products with the design.
Retailers saying 'no' to the flag
Walmart
Sears
eBay
Amazon
Etsy
Google Shopping
several flag makers
Confederate groups argue they should not be connected with Roof's actions.
"First
it's the flags, then the monuments, then the streets' names, then the
holidays," said Kelly Barrow, commander in chief of the Sons of
Confederate Veterans.
"I feel like it's open season on anything Confederate."
The Confederate battle flag became a potent symbol for the southern
states fighting the Civil War as they sought to break away from the
union.
It is seen by some as an icon of slavery and racism while others say the banner symbolises their heritage and history.
The battle flag's resurgence in the US South occurred in the mid-20th century, during the civil rights movement.
Birth of a flag
seen today on houses, bumper stickers and T-shirts (and Mississippi flag, above)
sometimes accompanied by the words "If this shirt offends you, you need a history lesson"
but it was never the official national flag of the Confederacy, rejected in 1861
instead adopted as battle flag by the Army of Northern Virginia under General Lee
it fast became a potent symbol of Confederate nationalism, more popular than the official national flag
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