Petition Offered Against Confederate Texas Plate
AUSTIN (AP) - More than 22,000 people have signed petitions against a proposed Confederate flag license plate for Texas.
The Austin American-Statesman reports the petitions were offered Wednesday in Austin.
The governing board of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles could decide on the plate in November. Board members had no comment Wednesday.
The specialty plate has been proposed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is an ancestral history group. Supporters have also raised free speech issues.
Critics include Gary Bledsoe with the NAACP, who says the Confederate flag is as offensive as a swastika and creates fear and intimidation. Another official with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Yannis Banks, says the flag represents slavery and hate.
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