Confederate Confusion Forces Flag Removal

A Michigan bed & breakfast has taken down their Norwegian flag after it was repeatedly confused for a Confederate flag. WILX'S Maureen Halliday reports.

(NBC News) — A Michigan bed & breakfast is changing its decor in response to confusion over their Norwegian flag.

Greg and Kjersten Offbecker, owners of the Nordic Pineapple, say the red and blue banner was frequently mistaken for a Confederate flag.

“They are the same color, but there are no stars on the Norwegian flag, and the Confederate flag is a big ‘X’ and the Norwegian flag is part of the Nordic countries, they’re all crosses,” Kjersten Offbecker said.

Last week, the couple decided to remove the flag as they were updating their marketing materials.

Offbecker said she was trying to represent her heritage, but it’s not worth the frustration. She said they have received cruel emails and phone calls over the confusion of the flag.

“What we’re getting is so much more negative now,” she said. “It’s not just, ‘Hey you’re flying the Confederate flag.’ It’s, ‘You should be ashamed to fly the Confederate flag. You’re a bigot because you fly the Confederate flag.’”

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