Home » World » Mississippi State abolishes controversial flag

Mississippi State abolishes controversial flag

The southern state flag, reminiscent of slavery, is said to have no place in Mississippi. Parliament decided to change the state flag: it contained the Confederate war flag.

Photo series with 16 pictures

Amid the racism debate in the USA have both chambers of parliament in Mississippi with a large majority in favor of changing 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. Mississippi was the last state whose official flag still reminded of the Confederates. The death of the African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation in late 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. 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 to work out the new flag by mid-September. It is to contain the motto “We trust in God” and will be presented to the voters on November 3, parallel to the presidential election.

Are you interested in US politics? Our WashingtonCorrespondent Fabian Reinbold signs about his work in the White House and his impressions from the USA Donald Trump a newsletter. Here you can subscribe to the “Post from Washington” for free, which then ends up in your mailbox once a week.

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.

The designated Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, described the Mississippi polls as a moral victory. 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, prohibited spectators from bringing the flag to races a few weeks after Floyd’s death.

– .

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.