RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As police continue investigating the massacre at the Emmanuel AME Church in South Carolina, pictures of suspect Dylann Roof in front of Confederate flags and monuments are sparking a national debate over the Confederate flag and what it represents.
“It really has no place in civilized society,” said King Salim Khalfani.
Khalfani is no stranger to the issue. The former head of the NAACP in the state fought plans to have giant Confederate flags raised over interstate 95 throughout the state. The Virginia Flaggers, behind those efforts, called it a chance to honor their history and heritage.
“We all aware of what it really means and that’s why whenever hate groups march or parade or rally those use those symbols,” said Khalfani.
Khalfani says he believes racial hatred expressed by the suspect came from symbols like the flag.
“Part of the ethos that creates sentiment like that is the Confederate flag,” said Khalfani.
Meanwhile, the Virginia Flaggers say they’re not doing interviews out of respect for the victims of the church shootings but did send out a statement saying:
“The Virginia Flaggers join the entire country in mourning the loss of the nine men and women killed in the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday evening. We offer our deepest sympathies to those who lost loved ones and friends in the tragedy, and pledge to continue to pray for comfort and peace for those who are grieving after the senseless act of violence.
We condemn any and all such acts of savagery, and call for swift and severe punishment for anyone who is found guilty of having any part in this heinous crime.
At the same time, we are deeply saddened to watch the disgusting attempts by some media representatives, self-appointed “historians”, activists, and even elected officials to exploit this national tragedy by using it for political purposes, and as an excuse to advance their hate-filled agenda, by calling for an all-out war on the Confederate flag and our Confederate heritage, beginning with the removal of the flag from a Veterans’ memorial on the Capitol grounds in South Carolina, over 100 miles away. These blatant attempts to incite violence and further divide the citizens of this country are despicable, and The Virginia Flaggers call on all those of Southern ancestry to resist any and all endeavors to use this tragedy as a platform to erase our history and attack the honor of our Confederate veterans.”
