Pols vote to lower reb flag

CHARLESTON, SC — South Carolina lawmakers took a major step Monday toward passing legislation to remove the Confederate battle flag that flies at the state capitol in Columbia and which has long been denounced by critics as a symbol of slavery.

A bill to remove the flag from the state grounds passed a crucial second reading by an overwhelming vote of 373 after an emotional debate in the state Senate.

It faces a final reading on Tuesday before it is taken up by the lower House of Representatives.

The political discussion comes after numerous elected officials, including Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, called for the flag’s removal after the June 17 massacre of nine African-American worshippers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Politicians and businesses across the South are trying to banish the Confederate flag in response to the killings. Photos of the white man charged in the shooting showed him posing with the flag on a Web site that also carried a racist manifesto.

The flag’s defenders argue it is worthy of recognition as part of South Carolina’s heritage. They also worry that bringing down the flag could lead to calls for removing symbols from other monuments and changing place names honoring Confederate leaders.