SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR RECOMMENDS CONFEDERATE FLAG TO BE REMOVED

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the state capitol in the wake of the racially charged killing of nine churchgoers in a historic Charleston congregation.

“Today we are here in a moment of unity… without ill will to say it’s time to move the flag from capitol grounds,” she said, and was met with applause.

The removal of the flag from the lawn of the government building, if it is approved by the legislature, would have no affect on those who wish to fly it on their own private property, Haley said.

Many respect the flag as a reminder of ancestors who died in the Civil War, noting that such feelings do not represent “hate nor is it racism. At the same time, for many others in South Carolina, the flag is a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past,” she said.

“We do not need to declare a winner and a loser here,” she said.