City: Lawsuit over Confederate-themed flag is ‘frivolous’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi city is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to block it from flying the state flag that features the Confederate battle emblem.

Ocean Springs says in court papers filed Monday that the lawsuit is “completely frivolous.” The city also says flag opponents who brought the suit last month lack the legal standing to claim that the flag violates the federal Fair Housing Act.

Plaintiffs say the Confederate emblem is “racially demeaning and hostile,” and flying the flag sends the message that black people are not welcome.

Ocean Springs City Hall didn’t fly the flag for several years under a previous mayor. After a new mayor took office last July, the flag went back up, prompting protests.

Several local governments have stopped flying the flag.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)