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<p>BLOOMSBURG &#8212; Local activist and former political candidate Gene Stilp burned a combination Nazi-Confederate flag on the steps of the Columbia County Courthouse on Friday to protest the sale of Confederate flags at the Bloomsburg Fair.</p><p>Stilp, a Wilkes-Barre native, received permission from county officials to burn the flag in a large garbage container as long as it was done in a safe manner.</p><p>Stilp said that approximately 20 supporters, both young and old, attended the demonstration and helped him hold the two-sided flag as it burned. He said a sole counter-protester was also present and was holding a Confederate flag.</p><p>Stilp approached him and informed him he would like to keep the event peaceful. The counter-protester told him that those who honor the Confederate flag are also Americans, according to Stilp&#8217;s account of the event.</p><p>The activist also gave a short speech and held a moment of silence in memory of Heather Heyer, who was killed by an alleged neo-Nazi while protesting at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August.</p><p>&#8220;We had hoped at the last minute that the directors of the Bloomsburg Fair would ban the selling of Confederate flags, but they didn&#8217;t,&#8221; said Stilp.</p><p>He said the main point of the flag burning was to emphasize that what the Confederate flag represents is not much different from what the neo-Nazi flag represents &#8212; racism and white supremacy. He also spoke to a group of students from Bloomsburg University before giving his speech.</p><p>&#8220;All in all, it was an effective educational demonstration and I think people will learn about what the Confederate flag stands for, especially younger folks who don&#8217;t know the lessons of history,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is good for them to see that these two flags are equated, and this is a good way to show that they&#8217;re both two sides of the same coin.&#8221;</p><p>Stilp timed his protest to coincide with the first day of the fair.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Stilp-Gene-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Stilp </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Stilp-Gene-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Stilp </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Activist burns Nazi-Confederate flag as ‘educational demonstration’