A group whose goal is to promote Confederate history arranged for an airplane banner of the Confederate flag to fly over Florida’s state capital to protest a bill that would ban display of the flag on state property.
The group named Save Southern Heritage was protesting SB 154 and HB 243, bills intended to ban the display of the flag and other Confederate symbols on public property.
“We want to let the legislature know that there are a lot of Floridians watching what happens,” David McCallister, a Save Southern Heritage Spokesperson, told the media. “These initiatives are draconian, expensive and irreversible. Once history is gone, it’s gone.”
The plane hired by the heritage group featured a large C.S. flag and a message reading “We’ll Remember in Nov.” It was seen flying over the campuses of Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and near downtown Tallahassee, Florida–the state’s capital city.
The group posted several tweets announcing the banner.
The banner is flying over Tallahassee to ensure veterans are honored, history saved. https://t.co/Z7Bh598MXJ #confederateflag #flyoverFL
— SSH (@sshnow) January 19, 2016
Today in #tallahassee we #honorVeterans of all races who served the state of FL https://t.co/Z7Bh598MXJ
— SSH (@sshnow) January 19, 2016
Another measure making its way through the legislature is Senate Bill 310, intended to remove the statue of Florida’s Confederate Lt. General E. Kirby Smith from the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C.
Earlier this month, the group also hosted a rally in Columbia, South Carolina to protest Governor Nikki Haley’s denunciation of southern history and the Confederate flag.
Save Southern Heritage claims that it seeks to “see the history of the south preserved for future generations” and says that it does not “condone racism and as such we do not support any group or person that does.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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