Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True

Rebel Flag Gone! South Carolina Removes Controversial Banner

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Fri, 10 Jul 2015 18:36:45 Z)

The Confederate battle flag was lowered from its pole at the South Carolina state capitol and moved to a museum just over three weeks after nine worshippers died in the Charleston church massacre.

The ceremonial lowering of the rebel banner removes a controversial symbol of the old South which was appropriates in the 20th century by racist groups. Although civil rights groups have boycotted South Carolina for years because of the decision to fly it on the capitol grounds, it was the June 17, 2015 attack on Emanuel AME Church that led to the governor and legislature to decide to take it down.

The solemnity of Friday's ceremony, which include state troopers respectfully lowering and folding the flag, struck activist Bree Newsome as inappropriate. Newsome is the woman who climbed the pole two weeks earlier to cut it down, resulting in criminal charges against her.

"Are they burying a U.S. soldier or removing a flag of treason, hate & terrorism? I can't tell," she tweeted

Love and hate for the flag is not a simple topic. CNN reporter Nick Valencia tweeted a photo of an African-American dressed as a Confederate soldier and bearing a Confederate flag. He tweeted "supporter turns his back to the removal ceremony at the state grounds in South Carolina."

The flag will be on display just down the street from the capitol in the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum in Columbia.

Lead Stories' Trendolizer (patent pending) is constantly scouring social networks worldwide to identify and rank the most shared, read, tweeted, viewed and commented-on content. Scroll down to see the hottest trending stories about the Confederate flag. But remember: Just because it's trending, doesn't mean it's true!

About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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