KKK plans Confederate flag rally at Statehouse
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) -- The Ku Klux Klan plans to hold a rally at the South Carolina Statehouse next month to protest renewed efforts to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds.
The Loyal White Knights out of Pelham, N.C. requested the rally from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on July 18 at the north grounds of the Statehouse. They expect to have as many as 200 supporters, according to an application filed with the state Budget and Control Board. Officials say the grounds are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Gov. Nikki Haley, who last week urged the legislature to vote to remove the flag after previously defending it, said in a statement that the KKK was not welcome.
"This is our state, and they are not welcome," Haley said.
Legislators last week voted to discuss the issue during a special session. Haley said she hoped the flag would be removed by July 4.
A call to the Loyal White Knights KKK was not immediately returned.
