As It Happens

After church massacre, Senator wants Confederate flag removed from S.C. capitol grounds

The Confederate flag outside the South Carolina state house is not lowered after nine people are murdered in a black church in Charleston. Now people don't just want it at half-mast -- they want it gone.

Across South Carolina, flags are flying at half mast to honour the dead. But, the Confederate flag on the grounds of the state capitol is still flying at the top of its pole.

That image has renewed calls for the State to give up the symbol. John Matthews is a South Carolina State Senator who has campaigned to have the Confederate flag removed.

He tells As It Happens co-host Carol Off, "Symbols are important. Symbols kind of define who you are. This is still the old south. We still got a long way to go."