A Black Lives Matter chapter sparked a heated debate after calling the American flag a symbol of hatred.
Sparking fury on social media, the Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter shared a controversial post in which they blasted the Stars and Stripes and claimed that all people who fly the flag are racist.
“When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around,” the organization wrote on the Fourth of July.
“When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist. When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do.
“When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you. It is a symbol of hatred.”
After their bold statement, BLM was barraged from all sides with people accusing them of promoting division and “declaring war” on the entire country.
“I love this flag and love this country!! I fly it proudly regardless of what you want to call me!!” someone wrote.
“Based on this tweet I think BLM Utah should transition to BLM Cuba and let’s see if they like this flag next July 4th. Respecting the flag and our ancestors who gave their lives for it, both black and white, is nonnegotiable,” another one said.
The third wrote: “BLM is a phony organization that thrives in division.”
In response to the backlash, BLM Utah went on to call their critics racists before proceeding to block them and delete their comments.
“Welcome racists. We know you are big mad about the racist flag post. You will not be heard here,” they wrote. “You will be blocked and your comments will be deleted.”
In another post, BLM Utah doubled down on their controversial post by vowing not to back down.
“Listen Karen, Confronting you and this country about your racism isn’t hatred. Addressing racism isn’t racist,” they added.
“We will not bow down to you. We will not beg you to stop being racist. We will proactively destroy the systems that continue to give you the power to marginalize people of color. Period.”
The group then went on to accuse people who love America and its flag of being a part of the problem.
“You are the ones denying jobs and housing to us. You spew microaggressions upon us in the workplace. You profile us in stores. You repeat negative stereotypes about us. Then you bring up your token Black friend and say ‘I’m not racist my best friend is Black’ to excuse your ignorance,” the group wrote.
“Just stop talking. We don’t teach hatred, we spread reality and that reality is bitter on your forked tongue. Swallow it. Internalize it. And realize that you are the problem.”