Photos: Bree Newsome climbs the flag pole, 27 June Woman pulls down Confederate flag

Bree Newsome climbed the flag pole defying police calls to come down

A black woman has climbed the flagpole in the grounds of the South Carolina State House and removed its controversial Confederate flag.

Bree Newsome climbed the 30ft (9m) steel pole just after dawn on Saturday despite police telling her to come down, Associated Press reported.

Ms Newsome and a man were later arrested and the flag returned.

Bree Newsome was taken into custody and the flag reinstated

There have been calls for it to be removed since nine people were killed in a racist attack in Charleston.

Shooting suspect Dylann Roof had been pictured with the Civil War era saltire - seen by some as a symbol of slavery and racism - on a number of occasions.

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