A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Friday to burning a Confederate flag while arguing that the flag represents the heritage of white people, according to WLOS-TV.
The 46-year-old man, identified as Brian Lee Williams, told a judge that the burning of the Confederate flag symbolized the “historical genocide” of the “black race,” the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.
“The white people have a history of destroying black people,” Williams said in court.
“They destroyed black people through slavery.
They’ve destroyed black communities, they’ve destroyed Black communities through segregation.
So to me, this is just a symbol that shows how evil and destructive our people have been.”
In addition to his conviction on hate crimes charges, Williams also pleaded guilty to felony charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
