Confederate Flag Ban Protesters Should Be Arrested For A Hate Crime, Says Professor

With South Carolina’s Confederate flag taken down, those who are protesting the Confederate flag ban have begun displaying Confederate battle flags on their houses and vehicles. Some historical organizations like the Sons of Confederate Veterans claim they replace every flag taken down with five more flags. But one professor claims a Confederate flag display is tantamount to a hate crime, and any who dare fly a Confederate flag should be arrested.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, Kid Rock adamantly opposes the Confederate flag ban and publicly told anyone who disagrees that they could “kiss his rebel a**.”

When Dylann Storm Roof went into that Charleston church and killed several innocent people, he made it abundantly clear that he wanted to ignite a race war with his actions. Roof was a fan of white supremacist groups and in some of his social media photos the Confederate flag was shown. In response, the Black Lives Matter movement called for all Confederate memorials and flags to be torn down.

Nick Bromell, a professor of American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, goes one step further. Writing for Salon, Bromell claims that those who protest the Confederate flag ban should be arrested for displaying their Confederate flags.

“Americans who refuse to acknowledge the connection between the Confederate flag and the horrors of slavery and white supremacy are still in the grip of a ‘malignant spirit’ handed down from generation to generation from 1865 to this day,” Bromell wrote. “It is a fine thing that the Confederate flag will no longer fly above the South Carolina state capitol. But displaying the Confederate flag anywhere is, at bottom, an act of hate. It should be recognized as such, and punished as a hate crime.”

At the same time, Bromell recognizes that the Confederate flag is a symbol which is viewed differently based upon the person.

“To [the Confederate cause across the nation], the Confederate flag is an innocent symbol, a symbol that honors the Confederate dead and preserves the memory of their gallantry and fighting spirit,” he wrote. “To black Americans, meanwhile, these flags send a clear, painful, and frightening message: You don’t belong here. By being here, you are in danger. This nation is not for you.”

Not every African American agrees, including a former president of a local chapter of the NAACP. H. K Edgerton is a 67-year-old black man who supports the Confederate flag. As a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, he has paraded in full Confederate dress while holding a Confederate flag.

“All these folks around shouting at me better go find out just who they are,” said Edgerton. “They’re going to find out a lot of their ancestors from South Carolina, fought down under this flag honorably. They can talk about me all they want to, my whole life has been fighting for black folks.”

According to Freedom Outpost, Edgerton also claims that the Confederate flag’s history supports his stance.

“Abolitionists would have us believe it was only about master and slave,” says Edgerton. “But white folks and black folks were partners in the destiny of the South… We can’t let the stars and stripes get away that easy. Never were the stars and bars flag flown over a slave ship. And you want to know why? Because it’s a Christian Battle Flag that was emulated after St. Andrew, Jesus Christ’s first disciple. In 69 A.D. in Petro, Greece — now a part of Russia — St. Andrew was jailed because of his teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ, his Lord and Master, and he was told he was going to be crucified on the cross… When [Civil War Confederate] General Beauregard decided they needed another flag, he chose the cross of St. Andrew for these reasons.”

Do you think those who oppose the Confederate flag ban should be arrested for a hate crime?