Mississippi Flag Rally Held To Show Support For Confederate Flag Emblem On State Banner


A Mississippi flag rally held at the state capitol in Jackson was organized by the Sons of Confederate Veterans to urge lawmakers to keep the Confederate Flag symbol on the state flag. The “High Noon” rally attracted hundreds of flag-waving residents.

The Mississippi state flag rally, where many folks also toted “Don’t Treat On Me” flags, included a host of both black and white speakers. Some of the speakers also spoke against Obama administration actions on gun control, gay marriage, and abortion during their time at the podium, MSN reports.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Past National Commander Chuck McMichael had this to say about the High Noon Mississippi flag rally.

“This is not about what happened in the 1860s. This is not about what happened in the 1960s. What this is really about is what the leftist, progressive agenda wants this country to look like in 2060.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, a rash of Confederate Flag backlash and removals from public spaces and store shelves occurred after the mass shooting of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina last June. In October 2015, those opposed to the Ole Miss flag on the University of Mississippi Student Senate sent a petition to school officials demanding that the battle flag be removed from the university’s emblem.

The Confederate Flag battle flag emblem has been a part of the Mississippi state flag since 1894. It is the only state in the republic that still prominently boasts the symbol of the 13 white stars on a blue X atop a red background.

More than a decade ago, residents of Mississippi voted to keep the rebel flag icon on the corner of the state flag. A movement to have it removed after the Charleston shooting has not yet garnered a vote in the state legislature. House Speaker Philip Gunn told the media that his Christian faith has sparked a desire to have the state flag, which he now views as a “point of offense,” to be removed and changed. When the state house speaker made his comments, the governing body was in recess and his peers refused to call an emergency or special session to act upon Gunn’s recommendation, WAPT News reports.

The High Noon Mississippi flag rally was held just days after state lawmakers had called to order their new four-month legislative session to order. Although no bill has yet been presented to remove and replace the existing Mississippi flag, the house speaker said that he expects multiple and likely competing resolutions, stating a desire to either alter or “enshrine” the flag’s design as part of the Mississippi state constitution.

“[We] want the Legislature to know [that] there’s a large grassroots support, still, to this day, as there was 16 years ago to keep the current state flag as it is and not change it,” Dixie Alliance member Ross Aldridge said.

During the Mississippi flag rally, about two dozen people stood near the demonstration holding a banner which read, “1 Flag For All.” The sponsor of the campaign, Sharon Brown, claims that the current state flag design “hurts” the state and should be changed.

“Our motto is the hospitality state. But, unfortunately, the flag does not represent that,” Brown told local reporters.

Both opponents and supporters of the change are currently circulating petitions to garner enough signatures to have the matter put on the ballot and placed in front of voters in 2018.

What do you think of the High Noon Mississippi flag rally? Do you think the Confederate Flag should be banned from all public spaces or respected as an emblem of Southern heritage?

[Image via Shutterstock.com]

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