For a brief hour on Saturday morning, the Confederate rebel flag no longer flew on the grounds of South Carolina’s State House.
Activist Bree Newsome and an unidentified male accomplice entered the fenced-off grounds of the flagpole and scaled it early this morning. According to the Associated Press, when capital police arrived, she was halfway up the pole. Asked to come down, Newsome instead finished her climb, removed the flag, and was arrested upon returning to the ground.
The flag was back up and flying within an hour.
Some images of Newsome in action:
"This flag comes down today," said a woman who pulled down the Confederate flag outside South Carolina's Statehouse pic.twitter.com/keuOEkjxqw
— Mashable (@mashable) June 27, 2015
More pics of Bree pulling down #ConfederateFlag #keepitdown pic.twitter.com/k9igdVfudu
— Rashad Robinson (@rashadrobinson) June 27, 2015
And video of Newsome talking to officers as she descends the pole:
Climber is talking to cop about why she's doing this today. pic.twitter.com/sJuOFFtkzc
— Ferguson Action (@fergusonaction) June 27, 2015
Following her arrest, supporters have reportedly gathered at the grounds to rally, while the hashtag #FreeBree is currently the top-most trending item on Twitter in the United States, thanks at least in part to public support from big names like Rev. Jesse Jackson:
We thank God that @BreeNewsome had the courage to take the flag down! #KeepItDown #FreeBree pic.twitter.com/AKXOu4kB0c
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) June 27, 2015
More video:
[Featured image via Twitter/screengrab]
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