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The state of Georgia has issued a new license plate that has riled up some citizens given the use of the controversial Confederate Flag. Considering the flag’s infamous history as an image of oppression and racism, civil rights activists have cried out in protest of the license plate.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the state issued the license plate has already drawn a line in the sand between supporters who say the Confederate Flag honors the state’s past legacy, and Black citizens who recall the sting of segregation and Jim Crow laws. The Journal-Constitution has more.

From the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The new specialty tag has stirred a clash between those who believe the battle flag honors Confederate heritage and those, particularly African-Americans, who view it as a racially charged symbol of oppression.

A spokesman for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said Tuesday that the state should not have sanctioned the battle emblem to appear on a Georgia tag.

“To display this is reprehensible,” said Maynard Eaton. “We don’t have license plates saying ‘Black Power.’”

The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the group that applied for the Confederate Flag plate, say they didn’t mean to offend their opponents. According to a spokesperson for the group, the The Motor Vehicle Division of the state’s Department of Revenue had to honor the request but doesn’t see it as an endorsement from the state.

More surprisingly, governor Nathan Deal said he hadn’t heard about the Confederate Flag tag beforehand. Still, the Sons of Confederate Veterans will reap some benefit should the plate sell well. For every $80 spent, the group will earn $10 back.

Wonder what Kanye West would think about all of this.

Hit the jump to see the full size shot of the Confederate Flag license plate.

Photo: Sons Of Confederate Veterans/Georgia Department of Revenue

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