Dale Pippin Files Human Rights Complaint Over Confederate Flag In Saskatchewan, He Says

Dale Pippin has had it with people linking the Confederate flag to racism.

The Saskatchewan man claims to have filed a complaint with the province's human rights commission over coverage of the controversial flag, which was recently removed from the State Capitol grounds in South Carolina.

In his complaint, posted to his blog, Pippin alleged that media portrayed the flag in a negative way by linking it to white supremacy and racism.

He took issue with two TV news segments in particular: one discussing whether the flag should be banned, the other covering the decision by The Flag Shop to stop selling the item.

Pippin called the stories an "unneeded insult and needless trashing of the Confederate flag."

"Why is this type of publicly broadcast discrimination being allowed in Canada? Are news agencies not held accountable to slander?" he asked.

Pippin said he called into a radio program and asked why a person can't buy a Confederate flag, "just as any other minority had the right to their lineage or history."

Pippin claims that his family descended from the Seven Blackbirds, a group of brothers from Tarboro, N.C., who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

He went on to say the family settled in Saskatchewan 110 years ago, that they have "substantially contributed to Saskatchewan/Canada, and are not racist."

"The sons/daughters of Confederacy that settled in Canada constitute a minority just like any other, and are entitled to the same protections against discrimination," he said.

As for the flag, Pippin said he has "never met a racist" flying it and that he has "never been treated rude for bringing it up."

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission did not confirm whether it received Pippin's complaint, The Star Phoenix reported.

This isn't the first controversy over the Confederate flag to arise in Saskatchewan recently.

Last week, attendees at the Craven Country Jamboree music festival were criticized for displaying the flag, despite organizers saying they would ask people to remove it.

University of Saskatchewan Prof. Keith Carlson told the Star Phoenix that young people have co-opted the flag into a symbol of rebellion, but that they don't grasp its racial connotations.

Pippin concluded his complaint by saying he is considering organizing "Confederate flag marches and parades to correctly remember what the Confederacy stood for."

"Parades are allowed for other minorities wishing to celebrate their pride, so ... perhaps a better understanding will be reached with repeated public events," he wrote.

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