Future of Confederate flag on the line

South Carolina politicians planned to introduce a resolution last night to begin a debate on removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds following the killings last week of nine black churchgoers allegedly by a white gunman.

Political leaders and civil rights organisations, including Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, also planned to rally in support of the measure on the steps of the State House in Columbia, about 190km from Charleston, the site of last Wednesday’s shooting.

The battle flag of the pro-slavery Confederacy has become a lightning rod for the outrage that has gripped the state over the apparent racist motives behind the massacre.