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| Efforts to banish Confederate symbols grow in US south | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| 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 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 Civil War 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 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: | |
| 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 | |
| Confederate groups argue they should not be connected with Roof's actions. | 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. | "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." | "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. | 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. | 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. | The battle flag's resurgence in the US South occurred in the mid-20th century, during the civil rights movement. |
| Birth of a flag | |
| Why do people still fly the Confederate flag? |