Pressure is mounting to withdraw the Confederate battle flag across the US, after South Carolina lawmakers called for its removal from the state house.
Protesters rallied in Columbia on Tuesday to demand the flag’s removal from South Carolina’s state capital.
Efforts are underway in four other states, Texas, Mississippi, Virginia and Tennessee, to remove state-sponsored Confederate tributes. Some major retailers, including Amazon and Walmart, are also removing it, BBC reported.
The murder of nine parishioners last week at a historical black church in Charleston, South Carolina, renewed debate about the place of the flag in US culture. The suspect, Dylann Roof, has appeared in many photos holding the flag.
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. However, it is seen by many as an icon of slavery and racism.
South Carolina’s governor, Nikki Haley, has said the flag should come down and urged the legislature to act, but it would require a two-thirds majority vote for that to happen.
