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Pentagon issues ban on Confederate flag at military bases

WION Web Team
Washington, DC, United States of AmericaUpdated: Jul 18, 2020, 11:17 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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Republican President Donald Trump had, however, earlier cited free speech rights in his defense of Americans who fly the Confederate flag.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has issued a de facto ban on displaying the Confederate flag at military installations around the world by authorising only certain flags that promote unity.

Republican President Donald Trump had, however, earlier cited free speech rights in his defense of Americans who fly the Confederate flag.

"The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols," Esper said in the memo.

The Confederate flag was flown by breakaway Southern states that advocated for the continuation of slavery and lost the 1861-65 US Civil War. Flying the flag can be offensive to many Americans, who see it as a reminder of the enslavement of Black Americans and as a symbol of white supremacy.

Supporters say the flag represents the South's heritage and culture and, along with US military bases named after Confederate generals and statues honoring them, serve as memorials to Confederate casualties in the Civil War.

Trump has criticised the desecration and removal of statues of Confederate and other former US leaders to energise his political base.

Trump has also publically opposed renaming US military bases named after Confederate generals, such as Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Bragg in North Carolina, putting him at odds with his military, whose top general has said the matter should be re-examined.

Esper also clashed with Trump last month by opposing the deployment of active-duty troops to address civil unrest across the country following the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an African American, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Beyond the American flag, Esper's memorandum cites a series of flags that can be flown on military installations, including state flags and ones to honour prisoners of war and service members who went missing in action.

Most US military services, including the Marine Corps, have already banned the display of Confederate flags, but Esper's memorandum is department-wide and will affect military installations around the world.