Oregon Man Reportedly Fired For Flying Mississippi State Flag On Truck

An Oregon man is outraged over the alleged reason behind his recent termination from his job. According to Opposing Views, Russell Smith was reportedly fired for flying a Mississippi state flag on the back of his truck.

In the wake of the Confederate controversy, the Mississippi flag — which bears a replicated image of the historic battle flag — has also come under fire, which is why the man insists the flag led to his termination. Smith, a Mississippi native, stated that he’d flown the flag alongside the American flag on his truck, but he was met with opposition by his supervisor at Modern Building Systems. He was reportedly asked to remove the flag following co-worker complaints about its seemingly offensive nature.

During an interview with Fox-12, Smith recounted the series of events that led to his termination.

“He said, ‘If you want to fly it you’ll have to park out here (off company property) and walk in, or if you want to drive in (on company property) you have to take your flags down,” Smith explained.

Oregon man believes he was fired over his Mississippi state flag http://t.co/5QGZSZaHDi

— Devil Horse (@DevilHorseCSA) July 25, 2015

Smith stated that he adamantly refused to remove the flags and decided on the latter alternative, opting to park his truck off company property the following day. Although no further complaints were received, Smith received shocking news from his supervisor later that day. He stated that he’d finished his work shift for the day but received shocking news when he was abruptly fired without warning or explanation. Needless to say, he is shocked and dismayed about the disheartening decision. He’s also shared his personal sentiments of the flag, arguing that it is a sign of heritage and not hate.

“I’ve been here for over five years now, irritated, just disbelief,” Smith said. “I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, I’m proud of where I’m from. My forefathers died for our flag, my grandfather, other people — there’s been a lot of bloodshed over this and I’m just going to take a stand. Nobody is going to take my flag away. Period.”

“It’s my heritage, not hate.”

Smith’s controversial termination follows a number of others; one incident, in particular, has made national headlines. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Shannon Dildine, a North Charleston police officer, was recently fired over a Facebook photo he posted wearing Confederate flag shorts.

We obtained a copy of the photo posted to Facebook that got the NCPD officer fired: http://t.co/rwOzP29Pnx #chsnews pic.twitter.com/a0lXYezd8Y

— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) June 26, 2015

Both terminations have sparked similar debates. However, in Smith’s case, many readers insist the flag should not have posed a problem as it is a legitimate state flag. Do you think Russell Smith should have been fired over the flag? Share your thoughts.

[Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]