Confederate Flag Supporters and Protesters Brawled at the S.C. Statehouse

The Confederate flag debate spurred on by the murder of nine people in Charleston came to physical blows on Monday when supporters and protesters clashed on the South Carolina statehouse grounds in Columbia. According to CBS This Morning, a local CBS affiliate caught the whole thing on camera.

According to the footage provided, an unidentified Caucasian male stopped his vehicle in front of a flag protest and demanded the Confederate flag, saying “Gimme the flag back! Gimme the damn flag!” He approached the protesters and a scuffle immediately ensued.

Joe Lindler, one of the flag supporters, was injured in the fight. With blood stains visible on his face, he told reporters, “The blood on my teeth, the blood on my hands is no comparison to the Southern blood that runs through my veins.”

In contrast, another person interviewed said, “That flag just does not deserve to fly at all in South Carolina and we want it down.”

So yeah, of course there was going to be a fight. And like a typical gathering of fans at a NASCAR rally, camera crews were there, willing to sit around and wait until the first signs of a crash surfaced.

Check out the clip below, courtesy of CBS:

[h/t CBS This Morning]
[Image via screengrab]

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