An activist took down South Carolina's Confederate flag, and Michael Moore is offering to pay her bail

Michael Moore
(Image credit: Matthew Simmons/Getty Images)

Liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore offered to pay any bail and legal fees for Bree Newsome, the black activist who was arrested for scaling a flagpole on South Carolina statehouse grounds and removing the Confederate flag Saturday morning. The flag was reinstated before a pro-Confederate flag rally.

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Moore wasn't the only one ready to fork over money for the cause. An Indiegogo campaign has already raised more than $17,000 for Newsome and other activists in the movement protesting violence against black people.

The debate over the Confederate flag gained attention after a white shooter killed nine people in a historically black Charleston church earlier this month. Gov. Nikki Haley called for the flag's removal, but legislators must pass a measure to ensure it comes down.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.