South Carolina Leaders: Remove Confederate Flag

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the statehouse grounds, following last week's massacre of nine black churchgoers.

The Republican was applauded as she said during Monday's news conference: "It's time to remove the flag from the capitol grounds."

Flanked by Republicans and Democrats, she said it was a "deeply offensive symbol of a brutally repressive past", while also acknowledging it was an emblem of "respect, duty and honour" to many others.

She added: "My hope is by removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward as a state in harmony and honour the nine blessed souls who are now in heaven."

The white suspect in last Wednesday's shooting had posed for photos with the flag , which was originally flown by the pro-slavery South during the 1861-65 American Civil War.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, a heritage group, said it would vigorously fight efforts to remove the flag.

Leland Summers, a spokesman for the organisation, said in a statement: "Do not associate the cowardly actions of a racist to our Confederate Banner."

Removing the standard from statehouse grounds would require a two-thirds vote by the Republican-dominated legislature, now in summer recess.

Governor Haley said she would call lawmakers back into session to debate the measure if they did not act to do so themselves.

She spoke out as the White House said President Barack Obama would deliver a eulogy at a funeral for one of the Charleston shooting victims.

He will be joined by Vice-President Joe Biden at Friday's ceremony for Rev Clementa Pinckney.

South Carolina was the last US state to fly the Confederate battle flag from its statehouse dome.

Since 2000, the rebel banner has been hoisted at the Confederate Soldier Monument in front of the capitol in the city of Columbia.

The White House said earlier that President Obama believes the divisive symbol belongs in a museum, though he recognises it's an issue for individual states.

In a podcast out on Monday, Mr Obama used the n-word as he said America was still not cured of its history of racism.

On Friday, 21-year-old Dylann Roof was charged with the murder of nine people at the Emanuel Africa American Episcopal Church in Charleston.

Over the weekend, several thousand protesters gathered at the statehouse, demanding the Confederate flag be taken down.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a White House hopeful, joined Governor Haley in urging the banner's removal.

But most of his fellow Republican White House candidates have stopped short of making the same call.

It has also emerged that several Republican White House hopefuls received donations from a white supremacist who inspired Roof.

Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum said they would return or donate thousands of dollars given to their campaigns by Earl Holt III, leader of the Council of Conservative Citizens.