Woman defies police orders, removes Confederate flag in front of SC statehouse
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — The Confederate flag has been temporarily removed from in front of the South Carolina Statehouse...
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — The Confederate flag has been temporarily removed from in front of the South Carolina Statehouse.
An unidentified black woman was about halfway up the more than 30-foot steel flagpole just after dawn Saturday when State Capitol police told her to come down. Instead, she continued up and removed the flag before returning to the ground.
The woman and another man who had entered the wrought-iron fence surrounding the flag were arrested.
Climber is talking to cop about why she's doing this today. pic.twitter.com/sJuOFFtkzc
— Ferguson Action (@fergusonaction) June 27, 2015
The flag, which is protected by state law, was raised again a short time later. A rally by flag supporters was scheduled for later Saturday.
Calls for removing the flag have been renewed since nine black churchgoers were killed in what police characterized as a racist attack at a Charleston, South Carolina church last week.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
