Clash Over Confederate Flag in Charleston

Closeup of textured Confederate flag

In an act of protest against the appearance of Bree Newsome as guest speaker at the College of Charleston, the South Carolina Secessionist Party placed Confederate flags on top of five buildings in Charleston. Counter protesters gathered nearby in support of Black Lives Matter and LGBT rights. In 2015 Newsome was detained after taking a Confederate flag from a pole at the South Caroline Statehouse in protest of a racially motivated mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church. Later the legislature decided to permanently remove the flag. The Secessionist Party thinks Newsome’s appearance would spur more flag removals.