LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Sons of Confederate Veterans has been banned from flying Confederate flags in Lexington, Va., on Lee-Jackson Day and Martin Luther King Day.

The City Council voted Thursday night to allow the group to fly its flags Jan. 10-13, The Roanoke Times reported. But officials said they should not fly Jan. 14-15 when they would compete with state and national flags on Lee-Jackson Day, which honors Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and King's birthday.


Brandon Dorsey, a leader in the group, accused city officials of a "longtime antagonism" to the Confederate flag and other symbols. He said the council is trying to evade a 1993 court decision that permanently barred the city from banning the display of Confederate symbols.

"We're a history group," Dorsey said. "We're all descendants of the soldiers who fought this war. Our ancestors bled and died for this state, at its request, and ought to be remembered and honored."