Radio Host Michael Berry Defends Confederate Flag As Simply Representing South Carolina's “Heritage”

Texas-based radio host Michael Berry criticized a Twitter user who, in the wake of the June 17 killing of nine black worshippers at an historic black church in Charlestown, South Carolina, tweeted that the state's governor had defended the Confederate “Stars and Bars” flag over the state capitol last October. Berry claimed the flag merely represents “the heritage of the state” and accused critics of wanting to “revise the history.”

Berry spent a large portion of his June 18 morning show downplaying the racist motivations behind Dylann Storm Roof's attack on a prayer group at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. While condemning those he said have rushed to judgement about the white shooter's motivations, Berry responded to a tweet by a former official at the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development that pointed out that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) had defended flying the Confederate flag outside the statehouse in October 2014. Berry said it was silly to blame the capitol's display of the “Stars and Bars” flag of the former Confederate States for encouraging the attack because it merely “represents the heritage of the state.” He added that opponents want to “revise the history and take the flag away.” Listen:

Berry, who called black teens at a pool party in McKinney, Texas “jungle animals” and told black UCLA students who were trying to improve diversity on campus to “get the F over themselves,” has caused more than a few controversies with his racially insensitive remarks. His defense of the Confederate flag epitomizes what Philip Klein, managing editor of the conservative Washington Examiner, criticized in a recent column that said, “Conservatives who try to defend the flag (or who are afraid to criticize it) are only reinforcing the perception that supporters of limited government don't really care about the historical or modern day struggles of black Americans.” But considering the fact that Berry's promotional material for his show features a picture of him wearing a Confederate flag hat, (see above), it seems unlikely he cares.