Activist plans to burn Confederate-Nazi flag in three counties this week

(Harrisburg) — A midstate political activist plans to burn a combination Confederate-Nazi flag in front of three county courthouses this week.

Gene Stilp has been known to make waves around the state Capitol, in the past calling for a total gift ban for lawmakers and the removal of former Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

Now, he’s burning home-made Confederate-Nazi flags in trash cans in front of county courthouses across the commonwealth.

The demonstrations started near the Wormleysburg office of U.S. Representative Scott Perry after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August. Stilp called the congressman’s response to the death of a woman there “horrible.”

He’s since burned the flag at courthouses in Columbia, Adams, Perry, and Luzerne counties. 

Stilp said he paired the two flags to show their shared values.

“This Confederate flag has the same basic beliefs as has a Nazi flag: hatred, racism, bigotry, white supremacy, slavery, genocide,” Stilp said.

He adds the point of the demonstrations is to ask a question.

“The idea here is not for me to make the judgement about racism, it’s for people in their own counties to make that judgement,” Stilp said. “It’s for me to do this educational project in the different counties, hold up a mirror and say, ‘is there racism in your county?’”

Stilp plans to burn the flag in Union and Northumberland counties Tuesday and York County Wednesday.

He hopes to continue the tour in as many counties as possible. 

Stilp said he welcomes people with a different view of the Confederate flag to come and share their opinions.