REBEL BANNERS UNFURLED FROM THE ROOFTOPS IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA …
Supporters of the Confederate flag made their presence felt in downtown Charleston, S.C. this weekend – hoisting at least six rebel banners from multiple rooftops during a crowded holiday weekend.
Members of the S.C. Secessionist Party – who recently “flagged” the Fort Sumter national monument in Charleston harbor – brought their ongoing protest to streets of the Holy City itself, prompting a flood of reaction from onlookers.
As well as some mainstream media coverage …
The Confederate flags were raised at 5:30 a.m. EST on Sunday morning and flew until 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon – fluttering over a city packed with tourists. One banner was unfurled from atop the parking garage next to the Francis Marion Hotel – overlooking the 2017 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE).
James Bessenger – the leader of the S.C. Secessionist Party – credited the city of Charleston’s police department with not only allowing his group to protest, but also with protecting flag supporters from an angry group of “anarchist, communist, BLM and antifa protesters” which rallied in opposition to their presence.
BLM is obviously the acronym for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, while “antifa” refers to a group of left-wing agitators operating under the “anti-fascist” banner.
“The police took care of us and told protesters they couldn’t make us leave because the garage is owned by the city and we were paying (for) parking,” Bessenger told us.
(Click to view)
(Via S.C. Secessionist Party)
Bessenger’s group has been active this year – scoring two big victories at the local level (here and here). It has also recently ramped up its statewide presence in an effort to get members of the S.C. General Assembly to honor their commitment to display the flag at a Columbia museum following its controversial removal from the grounds of the S.C. State House in July 2015.
The flag came down after 22-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine black parishioners at the Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston on June 17, 2015 – a premeditated, racially motivated slaughter known as “The Holy City Massacre.”
Roof received the death penalty in his federal trial for these murders, and is currently awaiting trial on state charges. He previously confessed to the killings, saying it was his intention to start a race war.
This website has consistently supported the death penalty in Roof’s case, although we remain opposed to the federal government usurping the state’s authority in this matter.
FITSNews was the first media outlet in the state of South Carolina to call for the removal of the flag from the grounds of the State House in the aftermath of the shooting. Unlike then-S.C. governor Nikki Haley, we didn’t have to wait for our crony capitalist masters to tell us the right thing to do.
(Haley previously supported the flag and rebuffed efforts to remove it, for those of you keeping score at home).
Our view? The flag should have never been raised on government property in the first place – and we object to spending any additional tax dollars on displaying it (anywhere). Having said that, we support the First Amendment right of flag backers to fly it as they see fit in public – and remain “thoroughly disappointed with the way many well-intentioned flag backers have been demonized during the process.”
Banner via S.C. Secessionist Party