HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The Confederate flag was held by a group of rallying Madison County residents to protect the monument standing on the southwest corner of the square.

“There’s a move, not just here, but in many places, to remove all the vestiges of our ancestors who fought in the Confederacy,” said Ed Kennedy with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The monument was erected in 1906 and the group says it’s removal would disrespect Alabama soldiers that died to protect it.

“We’ve got to honor not just the Union soldiers, but also the Confederate soldiers who died,” said the organizer Karen Lower.

The group is adamant that their mission is not on of hate but of the preservation of history. Lower says the flag, over time, has been misrepresented.

“[Like] the one we unfortunately say Dylann Roof in Charleston, South Carolina, waving around before he killed 9 innocent souls worshiping in their church,” said Lower.

County leaders previously said no official petition for the monument’s removal has been submitted. But there is an existing petition to keep the monument in place.