Confederate flag removed from South Carolina Statehouse grounds

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) —The Confederate flag has been removed from South Carolina Statehouse grounds, where it has flown for 54 years.

The rebel banner was taken down Friday morning by a state Highway Patrol honor guard. Thousands of people gathered at the Statehouse, some chanting “take it down.”

After the flag was removed, a van took it to a nearby museum, where it will be housed.

The ceremony and flag removal come after the June 17 massacre of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church. A white man is charged, and authorities say the killings were racially motivated. The shootings reignited calls to remove Confederate symbols nationwide.

The Confederate flag was raised over the Capitol dome in 1961 to protest integration. It was moved in 2000 to a flagpole in front of the Statehouse.