Activists Burn Confederate Flag During Lincoln Park Protest

By Jim Bochnowski in News on Jun 29, 2015 9:35PM

Photo: Twitter

As parts of the nation realize 150 years too late that flying the Confederate flag is not such a good idea, a few Chicago activists gathered in Lincoln Park this weekend to burn one themselves.

Huddled in the shadow of the Lincoln statue on Saturday night, the group of protesters gathered in a circle and ceremonially lit the flag on fire. In an open invitation, the event's organizers wrote:

"This is for those that would take up that symbol and bring about destruction on the lives and properties of blacks and another minorities. To these bigots we have a simple message: You are right, we are taking your country. And you are never getting it back."

ABC7 was at the event and filmed the following video.

Police initially told the protesters that they would be arrested if they actually lit the Confederate flag on fire, and one person received a citation for "defacing the flag," according to a report on Medium.

This flag burning was one of many held across the country on Saturday, which were in response to the tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17. A national Facebook event hosted by the "Everlasting GOP Stoppers," stated:

"The Confederate flag is not the flag of states' rights. It's the flag of racism, and it flew high as a young, angry, ignorant white man murdered 9 innocent African Americans -- just as it flew over countless racist killings before...This is our day to demonstrate that it is no longer acceptable to fly this flag anywhere. Organize a Confederate flag burning event in your area on Saturday, June 27th, and flood social media with pictures and videos using the hashtags #FeelTheBurn and #TakeItDown."