Since the mass shooting Wednesday at a historically black church in Charleston, S.C., controversy has erupted over the Confederate flag flying from South Carolina’s capitol building. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took a stand on the issue, tweeting this Saturday morning:
“Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol,” he wrote. “To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.”
The 21-year-old suspect in Wednesday’s killings, Dylann Storm Roof, allegedly told the nine African-Americans he shot that he had to proceed because: “You are raping our women and taking over the country.”
A photo on Roof’s Facebook page shows him sitting astride a car with a custom “Confederate States of America” license plate, sparking intense media debate over the flag’s place. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes confronted former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford on the issue, calling the flag a symbol of “tyranny,” “white supremacy” and “domination.” Sanford countered that “to another population in this state, it’s a symbol of heritage, it’s a symbol of state rights, it’s a symbol of my great great grandfather [who] died” in a Civil War battle.”
Friday the White House on Friday said Obama believes the flag “belongs in a museum.”
A bill to remove the Confederate flag from flying near the state’s capitol building will be introduced by Republican South Carolina state Rep. Norman “Doug” Brannon.
