The U.S. Marine Corps is making a major change as they announced that it is officially banning all public displays of the highly-controversial Confederate flag from all of its bases effective immediately.
This makes them very first military branch to completely ban the Confederate flag.
According to the new order, it says that all Marine Corps commanders must find and remove all displays of it in “workplaces, common-access areas, and public areas” on base.
Moreover, “The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps,” according to a notice posted by the U.S. Marines on its Twitter account.
Exceptions to the order include state flags that include the Confederate flag and Confederate soldiers’ gravesites. Individual barracks, living quarters and private vehicles will not be inspected.
Top Marine General David Berger banned the official display of the Confederate flag and all other such symbols. The recent announcement by the Marines formalizes that ban. It’s a position that no other military branch has yet taken.
The news comes as protests continue throughout the country following the senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin. In response, many city officials have decided to remove, deface or announce plans to take down many Confederate memorials.
