Washington. In the midst of the racism debate in the United States, both Mississippi Houses of Parliament voted by a large majority to change the controversial flag of the southern state. The flag, which has been in force since 1894, commemorates the former slave owners in the American South, the so-called Confederates. According to US media reports, Mississippi was the last state whose official flag still reminded of the Confederates.
The death of African-American George Floyd in a brutal police operation at the end of May and the subsequent protests against racism had given new impetus to opponents of the flag.
After the State House of Representatives, the Senate voted on Sunday evening (local time) to abolish the current flag. The senators voted 91 to 23 in favor of the change, according to numerous US media reports. Republican governor Tate Reeves had already announced on Saturday that he would sign the relevant law as soon as he had it.
According to the law, a commission is now to work out the new flag by mid-September. It should contain the motto “We trust in God” and will be presented to voters on November 3, parallel to the presidential election.
Local television broadcaster WLBT 3 reported that the flag above the parliament had been brought up just minutes after the vote – despite demonstrators campaigning for the flag in front of the building. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden described the Mississippi polls as a moral victory.
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The previous state flag has an image of a Confederate war flag in the upper left, often simply called the Southern flag. The flag of the former oppressor regime, which is still popular in parts of the southern states, is coming under increasing pressure due to its racist past. The popular motorsport series Nascar For example, a few weeks after Floyd’s death, spectators were prohibited from bringing the flag to races. (dpa)
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