The Confederate flag was booted from display within the U.S. Marine Corps because it “has the power to inflame feelings of division,” according to the Corps’s top leader.
On Thursday, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger tweeted a note that is expected to be published in the June 2020 Marine Corps Gazette explaining his decision to censure the centuries-old flag as being consistent with regulations “prohibiting the display of hate speech.”
“I have determined it is time to act to exclude from our Corps public displays of the battle flag carried by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War,” Berger wrote in the letter.
Read here for my views on displays of the confederate battle flag.https://t.co/MuM6ClDXV5 pic.twitter.com/uAAfa7awMf
— David H. Berger (@CMC_MarineCorps) April 23, 2020
In February, Berger ordered all Confederate paraphernalia to be removed from Corps’ installations, citing concerns that white supremacy is on the rise after several Marines were punished or banned from service after they posted racial epithets on social media.
He insisted that Marines not judge each other based on whether or not they support the flag but instead focus on coming together as a team of warriors to build an effective unit capable of defending the United States.
“This symbol has shown it has the power to inflame feelings of division. I cannot have that division inside our Corps,” the commandant said. “I am focused solely on building a uniquely capable warfighting team whose members come from all walks of life and must learn to operate side-by-side.”
“Team over self: that is how we must operate to fight and win,” he concluded.
