All the places where the Confederate flag is still officially used

Use of the Confederate battle flag has come under increased scrutiny in the past week following the murder of nine black churchgoers in Charleston.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the battle flag used by the pro-slavery Confederate states in the American Civil War was still seen flying in the grounds of South Carolina's statehouse in Columbia.

While many in the South say the flag simply represents their heritage, others say it has become a symbol of white supremacy.

And now, after initially saying there was nothing she could or would do, South Carolina's Republican governor Nikki Haley joined calls on Monday to say it was finally time to remove the flag from public buildings.

Here are a selection of quotes from her speech:

On matters of race, South Carolina has had a tough history; we all know that. Many of us have seen it in our lives, in the lives of our parents and grandparents. We don't need reminders.

It's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds. That flag, though an integral part of our past, does not represent the future of our great state.

To those who wish to show their respect for the flag in their private property, no one will stand in your way. But the statehouse is different.

We are not going to allow this symbol to divide us any longer... The fact that it causes so [much] pain is enough to move it from the capitol grounds. It is, after all, a capitol that belongs to all of us.

Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old arrested on suspicion of the shooting last week, was seen posing with the flag in several photos in a 2,000-word rambling 'manifesto' that was found online.

Removal of the flag, which has been flying in the grounds of the Statehouse since 2000, will require two-thirds of the vote in both houses of the South Carolina state legislature.

Where else the flag is used

While many in the South still use the Confederate flag on bumper stickers, outside their homes and in tattoos, it also has official recognition in certain jurisdictions.

The emblem features prominently on the Mississippi state flag after voters overwhelmingly decided in 2001 to maintain its use.

Versions of the flag can also be seen on the official state seals of Alabama and Texas and on licence plates issued in nine states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

It is also illegal to desecrate the Confederate flag in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, although the US constitution means these laws are unenforceable.

More: Dylann Roof said he was hungry so his arresting officers bought him some Burger King