Firefighter suspended after flying Confederate flag in parade
A Minnesota volunteer fireman was suspended Sunday following a holiday parade in which he displayed a Confederate battle flag alongside an American flag on a fire truck.
Brian Nielsen, who is also a EMS with the department, according to WCCO, flew the controversial flag from a Hartland Fire Department truck during a “Third of July” parade.
The decision was immediately met with critisicm from locals on social media.
“It’s not that I’m up for the rebel or the slavery part of it, ” Nielsen said to the Albert Lea Tribune. “It’s history. They’re trying to take this flag away. They’re basically trying to change the history and abolish it and get rid of it.”
The 43-year-old fireman had been with the department for more than 10 years. He told WCCO he was willing to make a formal apology to the Albert Lea Chamber of Commerce.
The Confederate battle flag has been the center of debate following a massacre at a historically black church in South Carolina. The gunman was seen in photographs displaying the flag on white supremacist websites.
Contact Kristen DeSilva at 702-477-3895 or kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva
