The pro-flag and pro-statue rally that was scheduled for Saturday, June 27 has been canceled after Lafayette County denied the organizer’s permit request.

Posted under the Facebook Event page Mississippi Stands 2.0, the purpose of the rally was to show support for keeping the current Mississippi state flag and keeping the Confederate monument in its place on the Courthouse lawn. The event was set to take place on Saturday, June 27 at 3 p.m.

“We are tired of the lawlessness and this is an event to stand up against the communist political agenda that’s being forced down our throats through violence and intimidation,” a post on the Mississippi Stands 2.0 Facebook page said. “Our vote on our state flag is under threat by the corrupt politicians and everywhere you turn monuments and statues are being destroyed and vandalized.”

The Facebook page “Confederate&Patriot Stand on Memphis” said supporters believe that many citizens of the Mississippi are proud of their ancestors who fought in the Civil War.

“What is compelling to me is the future of our children and grandchildren,” a statement given by Confederate&Patriot Stand on Memphis said. “They will learn together, they will work together, and they will worship together. Those who wish to fly our flag should not be typecast in any fashion.”

According to Sheriff Joey East, the permit for the march was denied because a “prior permit to stage a demonstration involving in excess of 200 individuals starting at the Courthouse Square with a planned march to the University of Mississippi campus has been issued by the City of Oxford.”

The demonstration requires the active coordination and involvement of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department in tandem with other law enforcement organizations. Due to such prior commitments, the consequent limited available manpower, and the security and safety needs (pedestrian and traffic) implicated by the subject permit which contemplates at least 50 participating individuals in a high traffic and pedestrian area, the use of the Historic Courthouse grounds would pose an undue safety risk during the time and date of the proposed use.

The event approved by the City of Oxford to take place this weekend is the L-O-United March, coordinated by members of the Ole Miss football team.

Permit approval is still pending for a “Mississippi Stands 2.1” march, which could take place on July 4.