Speech by activist who took down Confederate flag cancelled

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An appearance by the activist who climbed a flagpole and took down a Confederate flag outside the South Carolina Statehouse has been cancelled because of school policy.

Local media outlets report that Bree Newsome was scheduled to talk at Asheville Middle School in North Carolina this week. Newsome gained notoriety for scaling a 30-foot flagpole in 2015 to remove a Confederate flag in the aftermath of the attack at a Charleston church where a white supremacist shot and killed nine worshippers.

Asheville City Schools policy says no speaker who advocates unconstitutional or illegal acts or procedures will be permitted to address students. A spokeswoman said the policy refers to Newsome’s arrest for removing the flag.

Newsome has two other appearances in Asheville.