Confederate flag: Republicans speak of their 'struggle'

The House of Representatives in South Carolina has voted to take down the Confederate flag from capitol grounds after an "impassioned and sometimes tearful" debate.

Republican representatives Mike Pitts and Eric Bedingfield were among those debating the flag's future.

The backlash against the emblem grew when a gunman who killed nine black people at a Charleston church last month was pictured holding the flag.

Mr Pitts said he regarded the flag as a "heritage" which had been "abducted by despicable hate groups", while Mr Bedingfield spoke of his "struggle" with the issues surrounding the debate.