The flag rises in Santa Barbara D’Oeste, Brazil
In the United States, backlash against the Confederate flag has accelerated, with its removal from state property and retail shelves. But it is also seen flying in other parts of the world.
To its opponents, the battle flag used by Southern states during the American Civil War is a symbol of slavery, but to its supporters, it is part of the South’s heritage.
Readers contacted us to say where they saw it posted.
ITALY
I saw him at the Naples football matches in Italy. One supporter told me they loved the colors and the rebellious symbolism it carried in Italy where South and North are still in rivalry. This goes beyond football. Gustavo M. Lanata, Italy
When I visited Protaras, Cyprus, in 2004, the main strip along the beach was lined with Confederate flags. One of the strangest things I’ve encountered. No one seemed to know the history of the flag or even what country it came from. British locals and tourists have both assumed it to be of Scottish origin given the angles of the ‘X’. The flag was everywhere and no one knew what it meant (the desired reunification of Cyprus or the pre-war attempted merger with Greece didn’t seem to fit the rebellion theme, although I assumed that it may have been a protest flag). Pete Bullwinkel, New York
The southern coastal region of Croatia is called Dalmatia and I have seen the Confederate battle flag on buildings there. A Croatian told me that the coastal region associates this symbol with being from the southern part of the country and distinguishes it from the northern mountainous regions around the city of Zagreb. Clint Hodges, Split, Croatia
Every year the town of Millport in North Ayrshire, Scotland, hosts a country and western festival and the small island is covered in Confederate flags. Emma Morgan, Belfast
Image source, Emma Morgane
While campaigning in the last UK general election, I saw a man proudly displaying the Confederate flag from the window of his flat in Battersea, London. As an American living in London, I was surprised to see this flag, so I asked him what he thought it represented, and he replied that he flew this flag because it was ” a rebel”, and it is the “rebel” flag. Well, London
I fly the Northern Virginia battle flag in my backyard. It’s not a racist flag, it’s now just a symbol of the South. My ancestors fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War and I celebrate that. Britain still flies the Union flag after years of historic overseas slavery and numerous atrocities. D Fortesque, Market Drayton, United Kingdom
I now live in Luxembourg (left the US) and was shocked to come across several houses displaying the Confederate flag in some villages here. I never had a chance to ask the people who lived in the house what this meant to them, but to me it immediately has connotations of racism and hatred. It saddened me to see him here. Anne, Luxembourg
I saw the Confederate flag flying around the United Arab Emirates as a child in Dubai. There were many cars and trucks, usually owned and operated by wealthy Emiratis who flew the Confederate flag on their cars and pickup trucks. And just drive around waving the flags around the city. It never made much sense to me there and, interestingly, it seemed to have a cultural connection to their love of cars, particularly American muscle cars. Very strange. Tiago Niles, Sao Paulo
Image source, Emma Morgane
The Confederate flag is often flown by certain groups of football supporters linked to Benfica and sometimes Sporting Lisbon. It is personalized to include the group crest in material or all green tones (in the case of the sportsman). It’s not clear that fans know what the flag represents in the United States; many Benfica fans who wear it are black. They find the design cool. Pedro Borja, Lisbon
I live in Western Canada and there are a lot of this type of flag on many vehicles, especially pickup trucks. I see them on windows and on lawns. As an African immigrant, I understand the racist nature of this flag, but it seems that not everyone understands the fear or past use of the flag as a weapon to subjugate black people. Abdul Haji, Edmonton, Canada
I’m Italian and live in Spain, but I have Alabama heritage. I wear a Confederate flag on my vest not for any political or racial significance, but simply because it was my grandmother’s homeland. Jack Fluck, Madrid
