The Confederate flag flew at the NCAA tournament. Now it’s coming to the RBC Heritage.
The Confederate flag could be flying among the plaid next week.
The S.C. Secessionist Party is calling for the flag to be displayed at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing on April 15. The organization wants the flag that was removed from the Statehouse grounds in 2015 to be displayed in the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia.
As part of the campaign, it is targeting the state’s top attractions. That includes the state’s only PGA Tour event, held at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island April 13-16.
Members of the group don’t plan to enter the Sea Pines gates on Hilton Head’s south end, S.C. Secessionist Party chairman James Bessenger said. The flags will be displayed on sidewalks for incoming traffic at the roundabout near the community’s main gate.
“Our objective isn’t to obstruct or to hinder,” Bessenger said. “It’s just to ensure the people who come to our state see these flags until the legislature has done what they said they would do.”
The group flew Confederate flags at the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston last week and called for the flag’s display at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in Greenville in March. The organization plans to raise the flag at the Statehouse in July to mark the second anniversary of its removal from the grounds.
Tournament security rules prohibit posters, signs and banners inside the gates. On the Facebook post, someone suggested flying a flag from a rented boat anchored in Calibogue Sound off the 18th fairway.
Attempts to reach tournament officials Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.
Last month the National Action Network announced plans to protest the golf tournament to raise awareness of native islander issues. The civil rights organization canceled the protest after talks with town officials.
Stephen Fastenau: 843-706-8182, @IPBG_Stephen
This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 6:36 PM with the headline "The Confederate flag flew at the NCAA tournament. Now it’s coming to the RBC Heritage.."