George Zimmerman Confederate Flag Painting: Latinos React To Trayvon Martin Killer’s Latest Controversy

“George Zimmerman needs to shut up and go away,” Fox Latino contributor Rick Sanchez wrote in March . Sanchez’s wish is far from granted. George Zimmerman started a firestorm on Twitter today after he teamed up with Andy Hillinan, the Muslim-free gun zone guy to raise money with a Confederate flag raffle. In a 10 minute video, the pair outlined why they chose to hold the the raffle, why they didn’t think it was racist rally around the confederate flag and how the media had distorted George Zimmerman’s past legal troubles.

Zimmerman was charged with assaulting a police officer in 2005, but was reportedly allowed into a diversionary educational program. He was acquitted of murdering after shooting and killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2013. Since then, Zimmerman has had a number of run-ins with the law, including domestic violence charges that were later dropped by his partner . He hasn’t been convicted of any major crimes. To raise money for his legal fees, Zimmerman sold an American flag painting sold on eBay for over 100,000, according to the BBC .

During his trial for the Trayvon Martin shooting, Zimmerman’s family reportedly played down the family’s Latino heritage . Zimmerman is white and Hispanic, as Salon.com’s Isa Hopkins has pointed out. His mother is Peruvian. This wouldn’t matter if Zimmerman, his supporters and the people who demonize him weren’t constantly talking about it. In fact, Zimmerman has been playing it up, complaining that he was portrayed as a racist precisely because of his non-Latino last name. Latino he may be, but his embrace of the Confederate flag hasn’t won him many Latino supporters.

“This Latino needs to go away,” wrote Latino Rebels on Twitter, a digital sigh over George Zimmerman’s latest stunt.

Others Latinos “disowned him” on Twitter.

Some were particularly harsh.

Others were relieved to see that painting was the cause of the Twitter trend and not another arrest or shooting.

One user tweeted their own version of the Confederate flag.