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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina attorney general's office says a Confederate flag hanging in a chapel at The Citadel is protected by state law.
A local councilman had wanted to withhold nearly $1 million in funding from the Charleston military school unless the flag was removed.
But an opinion issued Tuesday by state Solicitor General Robert Cook says the flag is protected by the state's Heritage Act. It covers monuments and memorials on public property that are dedicated to wars in which the state fought or to African-American or Native American history.
Cook's opinion says no one can force the flag's removal or relocation.
Citadel Board of Visitors Chairman Michael Steele says in a statement that while the flag brings up strong emotions, the school hopes the opinion will bring closure to the issue.
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