SYRACUSE, NY — The New York State Fair, which is held in Syracuse every year, has announced that vendors will not be able to sell items that bear the symbol of the Confederate flag this year, although they have been able to do so in the past.

Fair spokesman Dave Bullard issued this statement: “The Great New York State Fair is a proud symbol of the heritage, diversity, and great promise of New York State. Our state and our fair represent inclusion and respect for all. The Fair requests vendors to refrain from selling or displaying items that may offend or [when doing so may affect] public health and safety. Our vendors have always complied with these requests. The Fair is aware of two vendors who have sold Confederate merchandise in the past. They have agreed not to sell such merchandise at the State Fair.”

This comes after some counties in the state have also banned the sale of Confederate flags, while others have allowed it, and fair officials in Ulster County have asked vendors with such items to display them “discreetly.”

The displaying of the Confederate flag became a national issue after Dylann Roof entered a church in Charleston, SC and allegedly shot nine African Americans to death in June; Roof had often posed with Confederate flags.