Quentin Tarantino brands the confederate flag the ‘American swastika’
The director was speaking ahead of the release of his latest film The Hateful Eight
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Quentin Tarantino has labelled the confederate flag the “American swastika” and believes it’s about “damn time” it’s no longer used in the southern states of America.
The director was speaking ahead of the release of his latest film The Hateful Eight which is set shortly after the American Civil War and profiles a black Union soldier played by Samuel L. Jackson who is put together with former confederate soldiers.
The confederate states, which are represented through the flag, were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana. The confederacy was established as an opposition movement to Abraham Lincoln and the United States following their pledge to stop the expansion of slavery.
The continued display of the flag in parts of the southern state is controversial. A July poll revealed 72 per cent of African-Americans see the flag as a symbol of racism whereas 75 per cent of southern whites described it as a “symbol of pride”, reports CNN.
Tarantino told the Telegraph that the making of The Hateful Eight coincided with the shooting of the African-American 18-year old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014.
He said this and other instances such as the mass shooting of black church goers in South Carolina sparked a discussion “about the confederacy in America” that wasn’t there before.
“I mean, I’ve always felt the 'rebel flag' was some American swastika,” he said, “And, well, now, all of a sudden, people are talking about it, and now they’re banning it, and now it’s not OK to have it on f*****g licence plates, and coffee cups, and stuff.”
Saying America hasn’t been “as divided with itself since the Civil War", Tarantino also hit out at the statues of former confederate and Ku Klax Klan leaders which continue to be featured in some parks across the country.
“People are starting to question about stuff like statues of Bedford Forrest [the confederate general and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard] in parks. Well, it’s about damn time, if you ask me.”
Tarantino has been a vocal critic of police racism and brutality and recently marched with the group RiseUp in New York.
Following the march a prominent police union called for a boycott of all the director’s films.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments