The American flag is a “symbol of hatred” the Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter claimed in a Facebook post on July Fourth.
“When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around. When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist. When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do,” the post read:
“When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you. It is a symbol of hatred,” the group continued.
In a subsequent post on Monday, the chapter urged people not to “misunderstand” them regarding the initial statement, writing, “We do not want you to stop flying your American flags.”
“Please keep flying them. It helps us to determine who is racist and who is not. They help us know who to avoid. Otherwise we could possibly interact with you. Thanks,” the group said:
According to its website, the chapter is not part of the global network of Black Lives Matter but fights oppression “by every means necessary” such as calling campaigns, canvassing, protests, boycotts, and lawsuits.
“Now I have started a huge controversy. The media now has a hold of it. the controversy stems from me calling the American flag a symbol of hate. I stand by my words,” the group stated in a post on Tuesday:
Meanwhile, the New York Times also received criticism for politicizing the American flag recently by suggesting, “flying the American flag from the back of a pickup truck or over a lawn is increasingly seen as a clue … to a person’s political affiliation,” Breitbart News reported.
However, the Times did note, “70 percent of Americans say the flag makes them feel proud,” and, “At its 1777 inception, the flag’s very design signified unity, the joining of the 13 colonies.”