Jackson Free Press

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi city could restart an argument over flying the state flag with the Confederate battle emblem that critics see as racist.

Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich ordered the flag removed from Biloxi city buildings in April, saying he wanted tourists to feel welcome. Biloxi attracts about 5.7 million visitors a year with beaches and casinos.

In a nonbinding legal opinion, the state attorney general's office said Friday that the mayor and the seven-member City Council manage city buildings together, and the council could vote to require the flag to be flown.

Mississippi is the last state with a flag featuring the Confederate emblem—a star-studded blue X over a field of red. All eight public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying it because of the symbol.

Read JFP's archives of historically factual stories about slavery, secession, the Civil War in Mississippi, Confederate monuments, the state flag and more at jfp.ms/slavery.