A plane flew a Confederate flag over downtown Jacksonville Tuesday morning to protest the removal of controversial statues, according to reports.
A group called Save Southern Heritage, which opposes the elimination of Confederate monuments in the Florida city, said it was responsible for the display.
The banner also took a shot at Mayor Lenny Curry, reading “Curry: Stop your hate!”
The Republican has publicly supported the removal of statues commemorating the Confederacy, though no final decision on the removal has been made.
The same organization flew another Confederate banner reading “put the monuments back” over the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars during a game last month.
“As I’ve said before, there is no place for hate of any kind in our City.,” Curry tweeted after the November incident. “My position on monuments remains clear, I have allocated money for removal and empowered city council to take action.”
Asked about that incident last month and a flashed message backing Kanye West at another Jaguars game, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said individual acts do not define cities.
“I’m concerned when people in the media take some jabroni that nobody cares about and will try to elevate them and make them some type of celebrity,” he said.
Jacksonville officials have repeatedly debated the removal of Confederate statues, with some locals backing their toppling and others arguing for their preservation.
