Fight breaks out between Confederate flag protesters and defender
theGRIO REPORT - Tensions are running as high as the Confederate battle flag is flying in South Carolina right now...
Tensions boiled over Monday night between Confederate flag defenders and protesters.
According the CBS Atlanta, Nicholas Thompson, 25, was arrested for disorderly conduct after he stopped his truck with a screech, got out, and began to walk aggressively towards a group of people who were protesting against the flag, which is still flying at the South Carolina Statehouse.
Video footage shows that a fight broke out shortly afterward.
The flag has been the center of debate lately following the horrific killing of nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina. Images of the killer surrounded by Confederate flag imagery flooded the news and fueled calls to take down the flag, seen as a symbol of racism and slavery.
“That flag just does not deserve to fly at all in South Carolina and we want it down,” one young African-American said.
Others, however, have opposed the removal of the flag, claiming that it is part of their heritage and history.
“Just because nine people lost their lives in a church in Charleston, which I’m not downplaying at all – still a tragedy, has nothing to do with that flag standing up there,” said a young white person.
The tensions will likely continue to rise as the KKK holds a planned rally in mid-July. Meanwhile, on July 6, state legislators are expected to meet to discuss what should be done with the flag.
