WASHINGTON
Debate about the confederate flag at the South Carolina Capitol has heated up once more following the murder of nine people at a black church in the state earlier this week.
More than 350,000 people signed an online petition while thousands of others joined a campaign on social media with the hashtag #takeitdown for the removal of the Confederate flag – for many a symbol of racism and white supremacy - from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.
The flag has a history dating back to the Civil War and was used by those states that defended slavery.
In South Carolina, it first flew atop the Statehouse in 1962 in direct opposition to civil rights efforts. In 2000, however, a compromise was reached and the Confederate flag was moved to the grounds of the Statehouse.
But supporters claim that it represents a symbol of Southern heritage and pride.
"The Confederate flag is not a symbol of southern pride but rather a symbol of rebellion and racism. On the heels of the brutal killing of nine Black people in a South Carolina church by a racist terrorist, it's time to put that symbol of rebellion and racism behind us and move toward healing and a better United States of America," read a statement by moveon.org, the website that launched the current campaign against the flag.
A picture on a website believed to belong to the South Carolina shooter, Dylann Roof, shows the suspect carrying a confederate flag in one hand and a gun on the other.
Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also joined the campaign on his Twitter account.
"Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims," Romney wrote.
Romney promised he would remove the flag from the state grounds during his 2012 campaign.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is currently seeking the Republican nomination for president in the 2016 race, also said in a statement that the controversial flag should be moved "from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged."
A White House spokesman said Friday that President Barack Obama believes the flag belongs to in museum as a part of American culture and history.
In addition to being used in South Carolina, the confederate flag emblem appears in the left corner of the Mississippi state flag.
