The Confederate flag will no longer wave at Six Flags Over Texas. Instead, the Dallas-area theme park will fly six American flags.
- Six Flags Over Texas removes Confederate flag
- Decision comes amid national debate on Confederate memorials
- The flag the park flew wasn't the Confederate battle flag
The Arlington park's decision comes as communities across the nation debate Confederate memorials and symbols after the deadly rally over a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Spokeswoman Sharon Parker says the company "always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us."
The park was named for the six flags that have flown over Texas. In addition to the Confederate flag, the others were those of Spain, Mexico, France, the Republic of Texas and the U.S.
The Confederate flag the park flew wasn't the battle flag known for its cross design but an earlier one known as the "stars and bars."
The news comes just one day after the park seemingly took a hard stance that they would not remove it, citing a fundamental distinction between the flag they fly and the Confederate Battle flag. The distinction being that white supremacists and neo-Nazis have adopted the Battle flag and not the banner the theme park (formerly) waves.
"Six flags over Texas" is the slogan used to describe the six nations that have had sovereignty over some or all of the current territory of the U.S. state of Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States of America.
Six Flags has more than a dozen locations in the U.S., including parks in California, Georgia and New York.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.