Disney Epcot removes version of the Confederate flag in U.S history attraction

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Disney has removed version of Confederate flag from historical stage show
Was one of more than 40 flags at The American Adventure at Epcot, Florida
Banner has been falling since the racist Charleston church killings in June
Dylann Roof, who allegedly murdered nine black people at the church, was pictured with the flag

Published: 03:53 EST, 9 July 2015 | Updated: 09:58 EST, 9 July 2015

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Walt Disney World Resort has removed a version of the Confederate flag from a historical stage show.

The banner was one of more than 40 on display at The American Adventure at Epcot, Florida, which showcases the nation's history using audio-animatronics, film and music.

Flying the flag has become especially controversial in recent weeks since photographs emerged showing Dylann Roof, who gunned down nine black people in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, posing with it.

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Confederate flag: Walt Disney World Resort has removed a version of the flag from The American Adventure

Controversy: Flying the confederate flag has become especially controversial in recent weeks since photographs emerged showing Dylann Roof, who gunned down nine black people in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, posing with it

Dylann Roof pictured left in a mugshot and right posing with the flag is accused of shooting dead nine people

CONFEDERATE FLAG CONTROVERSY

The 150-year-old flag was originally used as a Civil War battle flag by the seven slave states that broke away from the Union in 1861.

Due to the racist policies of those states, many calling for the flag's removal say it symbolizes hatred and white supremacy.

It gained its modern meaning from the 1950s onwards when it was used in opposition to the Civil Rights movement that sought to end segregation and create equal rights for black people.

In 1962, when the civil rights movement was cresting and the president was putting pressure on the south to end segregation, South Carolina proudly flew the flag in protest.

Disney has acknowledged it took down the flag recently but did not comment further, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The website reports that the 'southern cross' did not cover the entire banner as it does in the Confederate battle flag, but was displayed in the top left-hand-corner and was surrounded by white, with a red stripe at the opposite end.

The banner, which many see as a symbol of racial hatred and pro-slavery, has been falling since the racist church massacre in Charleston on June 17.

In a eulogy for one of the victims of the Charleston killings, President Barack Obama called the flag 'a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation'.

Formerly the battle flag for the seven slave states during the Civil War, it became even more controversial during the civil rights movement when many southern states flew the flag in protest against integration.

The South Carolina legislature passed a bill today to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol grounds after an emotional 13-hour debate.

The bill, already approved by the Senate, passed a third and final vote in the House of Representatives in the early hours of the morning and now goes to Governor Nikki Haley to be signed into law later in the day. Haley has said she will sign it.

The flag's defenders deny its association with slavery, saying it honors those who fought and died for the state and the southern Confederacy on the losing side of the Civil War.

Dylann Roof holding a Confederate flag and a gun

During a routine bible study at a church in Charleston on June 17, 21-year-old Dylann Roof allegedly killed nine people

Disney has also removed a statue of Bill Cosby from its theme park in Florida after court documents revealed the singer admitted drugging women for sex.

The bronze bust, which sits in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza, was be removed before the park opened yesterday.

While the gesture is largely symbolic, it shows how far the reputation of this once-sainted entertainer has fallen in recent years.

The move came following a petition by Orlando resident Brittany Gavrilova, whose aunt was one of the women Cosby, 77, was alleged to have abused.

Writing on her Facebook page, Ms Gavrilova said: 'I want the statue removed so that our children and children's children will not keep this pathetic excuse of a man on this pedestal, or anyone anywhere for the rest of time. He is no Disney hero, he is a real-life villain.'