Lex Scott, the leader and founder of Utah’s Black Lives Matter chapter, confirmed that the group stood behind a controversial Facebook post made on July 4.
The group declared the American flag was “a symbol of hatred,” that “the person flying it is a racist,” and “we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you,” in the July 4 post.
Scott confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that the group made the post to demonstrate how groups can “co-opt” the flag for their own purposes without facing criticism. “Ever since we put up the post, our page has been flooded with hatred from people who fly the flag. And we want to thank those people for proving our point,” Scott said. (RELATED: Former BLM Leader Describes ‘Ugly Truth’ About The Organization)
She went on to blame those who objected to the group’s characterization of the American flag for not standing up against its use by hate groups, saying, “When you allow a hate group to fly that flag in the name of hatred, and you say nothing, and you do nothing, you send a message to us that you agree with their messaging. You agree with that hate, and you condone it.”
In another lengthy Facebook post Scott claimed she authored, Black Lives Matter Utah said, “If you see that every person that hates you is carrying an American flag how would you feel about that flag? If every message of hate that you receive comes from a person flying that flag, how would you feel when you see that flag.”
The New York Times’ Mara Gay recently made similar remarks about the American flag, saying it was “disturbing” to see “dozens of American flags” on display in Long Island, New York.