The Confederate battle flag standing at the foot of the Confederate memorial on the Alabama Capitol grounds was quietly removed Wednesday morning.
Republican Gov. Robert Bentley confirmed that he ordered the flag taken down when asked about it on his way to an appearance in Hackleburg.
The flag was taken down nonchalantly by two workers at around 8:20 a.m.
Workers soon began removing three other Civil War era flags after the Confederate battle flag was removed: the First National Confederate Flag, commonly called the “Stars and Bars;” the Second National Confederate Flag, commonly known as the “Stainless Banner;” and the Third National Confederate Flag.
“Yes, partially this is about that. This is the right thing to do. We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward. I have taxes to raise, we have work to do. And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down,” Bentley said when asked the reasons for taking it down and if they included last week’s deadly church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
(h/t AL.com)
