'Today, we are here in a moment of unity.. it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds.' Nikki Haley addresses Confederate flag removal. South Carolina urges removal of Confederate flag from State capitol. Community leaders in South Carolina are calling for the removal of a Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol. The flag, emblematic of the south during the US civil war, was embraced by the man accused of killing nine people in a black church last week. To much applause at a news conference, Governor Nikki Haley called for the "removal of a symbol that divides us". The Sons of Confederate Veterans says it will fight attempts to remove it. The confederate group says it symbolises their heritage and history, not hate, and has offered condolences to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the attack took place. South Carolina Governor Haley acknowledged that point of view but said to many others it was a "deeply offensive symbol of brutal oppression". The flag was originally the battle flag of the southern states in the civil war when they tried to break away to prevent the abolition of slavery. Only the South Carolina's state legislature may remove the flag, according to a deal hatched when the flag was moved in 2000 off the capitol's dome to the memorial where it now stands. A vote could take place this week. Nine black worshippers were killed by a gunman during a bible study group at the church in Charleston. The suspect, Dylann Roof, has been pictured holding the Confederate flag. State leaders have held crisis meetings as they have tried to find a solution but some leading Republicans have called for action. "Last week's terrorising act of violence shook the very core of every South Carolinian," House Majority Leader Jay Lucas said in a statement. "Moving South Carolina forward from this terrible tragedy requires a swift resolution of this issue." Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley, a Democrat, said: "The flag got appropriated by hate groups. We can't put it in a public place where it can give any oxygen to hate-filled people". Republicans who have held majorities in the state for about 25 years have pushed back on previous calls to remove the flag. However, there's no apparent consensus between them on how they should respond this time.

• published: 22 Jun 2015
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