Rally temporarily brings Confederate flag back at SC statehouse

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — The Confederate flag has made a temporary return to the front lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse.

About 200 people attended a rally at the Capitol complex in Columbia today organized by the South Carolina Secessionist Party. The event marks one year since the Confederate battle flag was furled and sent to a museum.

Using a portable base, the party raised the battle flag on the same spot where it flew on a 30-foot pole beside the Confederate Soldiers Monument. The crowd included people holding their own flags and people clad in Civil War uniforms to represent a Confederate Memorial Honor Guard.

Dozens of protesters also showed up, but the groups were kept separate by metal barriers as well as police officers backed by helicopters circling overhead.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)