Gov. Nathan Deal reissued an executive order to have flags flown at half-staff Friday after catching heat for calling the Dallas demonstrations where police were gunned down Thursday night an “anti-police protest.”
Deal made the original comment when ordering U.S. and Georgia state flags flown at half-staff at all Department of Public Safety buildings following the shootings.
The police shootings occurred at a demonstration in Dallas against the recent shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana by police officers.
Two hours after the original order, Deal’s office sent out a statement saying, “I’ve reissued the executive order regarding lowering flags to half-staff in memory of the fallen officers in Texas to mirror the presidential proclamation.
“In addition, I’d like to clarify the previous executive order I issued. The anti-police incident to which I referred was the shooting of law enforcement officers, as that was the stated intent of the shooters, and not of those peacefully demonstrating.”
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“Again, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who’ve suffered loss of a loved one this week.”
Deal signed the original executive order early Friday to fly the U.S. and Georgia state flags at half-staff.
“Today we mourn the lives of five law enforcement officers who were gunned down in a coordinated sniper attack during an anti-police protest,” Deal wrote in his original executive order.
He immediately came under heat on Twitter. Some of the responses:
