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Confederate flag now an option on Ga. license plates

New custom license plates drawing criticism in Georgia.

Credit: Wayne Scarberry Getty Images

405136 01: Brag Bowling, First Lieutenant Commander Of The Sons Of Confederate Veterans Virginia Division, Holds A Sample Virginia Licence Plate Containing His Organization's Logo, Which Incorporates The Confederate Battle Flag, May 8, 2002 In Richmond, Va. A Federal Appeals Court Ruled Last Week That Virginia Cannot Block The Group From Displaying The Logo On Speciality License Plates. The 4Th U. S. Circuit Court Of Appeals Ruled Against The State's Claim That The Licence Plates Constitute Public Speech And That The State Had The Right To Regulate Which Groups And Designs Are Allowed On Plates That Represent Virginia. Bowling Said His Group Hopes To Have Their Plates By Mid-Summer. (Photo By Wayne Scarberry/Getty Images)

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia officials have once again approved a specialty license plate featuring the Confederate battle flag, infuriating civil rights advocates and renewing a debate among those who believe the symbol honors Confederate heritage and others who see it as racially charged.

The Georgia division of The Sons of Confederate Veterans requested the new plate. Its old one had a small Confederate battle flag. The new one features an additional, larger image in the background that co

vers the entire plate.

A group spokesman says it means no offense and people have a right to commemorate their heritage.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference spokesman Maynard Eaton tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the state shouldn't have sanctioned the move and calls displaying the emblem "reprehensible." Gov. Nathan Deal says he was unaware of the plate.