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[h=4]Romney joins call to remove Confederate flag from S.C. Capitol[/h]Demonstrators preparing to gather at the South Carolina Capitol on Saturday to protest the flying of a Confederate flag on statehouse grounds got unexpected support from former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
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The murders of nine African Americans inside a historically black Charleston church have reignited calls to take down the Confederate flag outside South Carolina's Statehouse, but the historic symbol won't come down easily, if it does at all. VPC
The South Carolina and American flags fly at half-staff behind the Confederate flag in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., on June 19, 2015.(Photo: Mladen Antonov, AFP/Getty Images)
Demonstrators preparing to gather at the South Carolina Capitol on Saturday to protest the flying of a Confederate flag on statehouse grounds received some unexpected support from former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims," the former governor of Massachusetts said on Twitter
While he did not specifically mention the march planned for Saturday evening, his comments clearly supported the group's goal.
The debate over the flag has flared anew following the killing of nine people at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church earlier this week. Dylann Roof, 21, who sported white supremacist patches on a jacket and had a Confederate flag license tag on the front of his car, has been charged with murder for the attack on Wednesday.
Organizers of Saturday's march stressed on Facebook the demonstration would be peaceful and nonviolent.
"We are NOT planning in taking down the Confederate flag ourselves .. at the event," the post said. "We are a peaceful and concerned community group wanting to express and discuss legislative changes to take down that symbol. We are not endorsing any violent expression or disrespectful action whatsoever."
A petition by the liberal public advocacy group MoveOn.org calling for the flag's removal had gathered more than 300,000 signatures by Saturday morning. The petition, addressed to South Carolina state representatives and the governor, said: "Symbols of hate and division have no place in our government. It's time to stand up for what's right and take down the Confederate Flag!"
For some South Carolina residents, the Confederate flag hanging outside the Statehouse represents their heritage. For others, it is a sobering reminder of the state's dark history — marred by white supremacy and slavery.
The flag first flew above the Statehouse in 1961 in response to campaigns for desegregation following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in which the Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools was illegal. In 2000, the flag was moved to the front of the Statehouse after a compromise among state politicians.
State Rep. Carl Anderson, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, told USA TODAY members of the caucus will bring several bills to the next legislative session to address gun control, hate crimes and the removal of the Confederate flag. He said they hope to have bipartisan support.
The State's General Assembly would have to pass a bill in order for the flag to be removed from the grounds. Gov. Nikki Haley, without taking a position on the flag controversy, said this week that the killings in Charleston would likely prompt renewed debate on the issue in the state and in the General Assembly.
"What we hope is that we do the things South Carolinians do, which is have the conversation, allow some thoughtful words to be exchanged, be kind about it, come together on what we're trying to achieve and how we're trying to do it," Haley, a Republican, told CBS on Friday. "I think the state will start talking about that again, and we'll see where it goes."
USA TODAY
Tragedy rekindles debate over South Carolina's Confederate flag
But Haley said her job right now is to heal, not to have policy conversations.
"To start having policy conversations with the people of South Carolina, I understand that's what y'all want. My job is to heal the people of this state," Haley said.
Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also has been asked to explain where he stands and has been taking heat for saying the flag is "part of who we are." He was adamant that Roof, the alleged gunman, not the Confederate battle flag, is to blame for what happened inside the Charleston church.
"We're not going to give this guy an excuse about a book he might have read or a movie he watched or a song he listened to or a symbol out anywhere. It's him ... not the flag," he told CNN.
But his Republican colleague, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said late Friday through a written statement that Wednesday's tragedy was "born of hatred and racism."
"In 2000, the state of South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from the Capitol dome in Columbia as part of a compromise with all parties involved," Scott said. "We will have many conversations over the coming days and weeks about a variety of issues and solutions, and the placement of the Confederate flag will certainly be one of those."
Cornell Brooks, president of the NAACP, told reporters in Charleston on Friday that it is not appropriate for South Carolina to keep flying the Confederate flag at its state house.
"The flag has to come down," Brooks said.
"This was not merely a mass shooting, not merely a matter of gun violence," he added. "This was a racial hate crime, and must be confronted as such."
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