Clay County Confederate flag rally draws hundreds of supporters Saturday afternoon

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of people flooded the parking lot of Middleburg plaza, raising the Confederate flag from their vehicles Saturday.

The “Heritage not Hate” rally was in response to the national outcry for the Confederate flag to come down after nine people were shot and killed at a church in Charleston, South Carolina in June.

Rob Welton, one of the organizers, was at the rally Saturday to let people know the hate of one man in South Carolina has nothing to do with the Confederate flag.

"There's been a big controversy since the shooting at the church, and we just want to let everybody know that it has nothing to do with this flag. That was the hatred in one man's heart," Welton said.
 
Hundreds of flags made their way through Clay County with people chanting "heritage not hate."

Chris Johnson, 21, was at the rally Saturday.

"I say they are the ones that need a history lesson, not us," Johnson said.
 
Johnson is from South Carolina and held his homemade banner at the rally. He said the events that have unfolded in the Palmetto State have struck a chord.
 
"That flag is historically pro slavery," Johnson said. "They say it's state rights versus federal rights, but what were those state rights? It was industry versus agriculture, and what's the basis of their agriculture … slave labor."
 
However, organizers like Welton see it another way, and stand behind Saturday's rally.
 
"This is about the men and women, of all colors, that fought to protect that flag and died for that flag," Welton said.

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