COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Nearly every historic statue, monument, street and building name across South Carolina would be protected from removal or changes under a proposal approved Wednesday by the state Senate.
The bill approved 31-7 would also ban QR code stickers that could be scanned by a cellphone to get additional information about a historic figure, something supporters of the codes said could be used to put the actions of Confederate or segregationist figures enshrined in glowing language decades ago into a more modern perspective.
Local governments would have to get a proposal passed by the General Assembly to remove a monument or change its wording.
Elsewhere in the South, legislatures are restricting special treatment for Confederate groups. Lawmakers in Virginia ended some benefits to groups that honor the memory of rebel soldiers and debated removing the final three statues to Confederates that remain at Capitol Square in the one time rebel capital.
South Carolina already protects monuments to the Confederacy, which lost a four-year war to separate from the United States, and to a number of other conflicts from the American Revolution to the Persian Gulf War.
But memorials to people not involved in fighting fell into a loophole meaning long since dead figures like former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun or segregationist Gov. “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman might not get the same protection from colleges or local governments.
The South Carolina bill protects all historical figures, defining them as any dead person who “played a significant role in past developments.”
All those who voted for it were Republicans, while all those who voted against it were Democrats.
Democratic Sen. Margie Bright Matthews read quotes on the Senate floor from Tillman saying the only way to put freed slaves and their children back in their place was to kill some of them and Calhoun saying slavery was needed because African Americans cannot be civilized.
“Do we want to be a state that continues to debate and defend the legacy of treason, racism and exclusion?" Matthews said. “You ought to be embarrassed about some of the stuff you want to preserve.”
South Carolina's monument protection law was first passed in 2000 as part of a compromise that removed the Confederate flag that was raised atop the capitol dome during the 100th anniversary of the Civil War in 1961.
The bill, which moves on to the House with about a month left in session, would allow any officially registered private historical groups to sue if they think a monument is not being treated legally. The proposal requires any monument moved because of a building renovation or road project to be displayed in an area of equal or greater prominence.
Democratic Sen. Ed Sutton said that could become a mess for a place like Charleston, which could end up facing numerous lawsuits from unhappy groups. Under the current law, only the state attorney general's office can sue.
“The practical effect is the city is going to take a step back and say we’re out of the history game,” Sutton said of Charleston, founded in 1670 and pivotal in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.
In Virginia, new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law last week a bill ending a license plate from the Sons of Confederate Veterans with an image of rebel general Robert E. Lee.
Earlier this year, the state's General Assembly removed from public recognition a song with lyrics about an enslaved person called a racial slur fondly recalling his days in bondage called “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny.” It was the official state song from 1940 to 1997, when it was redesignated the “state song emeritus.”
South Carolina lawmakers are resistant to any historical revision.
In the bill, Republican sponsor Sen. Danny Verdin wrote "the nearer a person stands in time to the event, the more likely their description reflects the conditions, perceptions and meanings as they were actually were understood when they occurred.”
That's why Verdin successfully fought to keep in the bill a provision banning QR codes on monuments. No other state that protects memorials bans QR codes.
"As our knowledge and understanding of history continues to evolve, please consider the value in allowing for an evolution in how the lives of those in the past are told,” Preservation Society of Charleston President and CEO Brian Turner wrote in a letter to senators.
Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson said since his ancestors were freed from bondage through the Civil War he doesn't feel warm and fuzzy seeing a Confederate honored with a statue and his story should be there too.
“History is usually a matter of who sees it, who tells it, who experiences it,” Jackson said.
South Carolina Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Columbia, speaks to the Senate in front of a portrait of former U.S. Vice President and slavery supporter John C. Calhoun on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
A monument to Confederate soldiers is seen outside the South Carolina Statehouse on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
Bayern Munich turned the tables on old rival Real Madrid.
Luis Díaz and Michael Olise scored late for the Bavarian powerhouse to beat Madrid 4-3 and advance to the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday.
In the last four two-legged ties between the sides, the Spanish giant had prevailed each time.
The second-leg quarterfinal game ended in acrimony with Madrid’s players furious that referee Slavko Vinčić sent off substitute Eduardo Camavinga in the 86th minute for an innocuous challenge on Harry Kane — after being urged to show him his second yellow card by the Bayern players.
Díaz fired inside the right post three minutes later and Olise ended the contest definitively with a spectacular strike in stoppage time to give Bayern a 6-4 win on aggregate after the Bavarian powerhouse won the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid last week.
Madrid’s players surrounded Vinčić after the game. Arda Guler, who scored two brilliant goals to spark the visitors’ hopes of a famed “remontada” (comeback), was shown a red card for his vehement complaints.
“Everything was over with the red card,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said. “It’s unbelievable. You cannot send off a player for this action. It’s not fair in a match like that, and well, we are very, very upset, very angry, but also congratulations to Bayern Munich.”
Bayern will play defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Also Wednesday, Arsenal advanced past Sporting Lisbon to set up a last-four showdown against Atlético Madrid.
Guler opened the scoring after just 34 seconds thanks to a mistake from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer – who was outstanding in the first leg – whose attempted pass went straight to the 21-year-old Turkey star, who delayed not but fired the ball into the empty net from distance.
Bayern seemed unfazed and Aleksandar Pavlović equalized with a point-blank header from a Joshua Kimmich corner in the sixth minute. Bayern maintained its dominance with Madrid patiently looking for breaks.
Konrad Laimer did well to block Kylian Mbappé, who had an adhesive bandage above his right eye after getting a heavy blow to his face last weekend.
Guler beat Neuer with a brilliant free kick in the 29th, but Bayern had legitimate complaints it should not have been awarded with Brahim Díaz going down after minimal contact from Laimer.
Bayern again seized control and it was no surprise when Harry Kane equalized in the 38th inside the right post after being left free by English compatriot Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It was the England captain’s 12th goal in the competition this season and his 50th across all competitions for Bayern.
Vinícius Júnior then struck the crossbar before setting up Mbappé to restore Madrid’s lead on the night in the 42nd.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was booked for complaining about an foul from Antonio Rüdiger on Josip Stanišić in the buildup. It means he’s suspended for the semifinal first leg.
There were no more goals, however, until the late drama.
“I hope all the kids in Germany were allowed stay awake a little longer,” Kimmich said. “I hope my wife let my son stay up a bit longer and then late to school tomorrow.”
Bayern, which smashed the Bundesliga goals record last weekend, can clinch yet another German league title on Sunday — the 13th in 14 years — if Borussia Dortmund drops points the day before.
Bayern also faces Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals of the German Cup on April 22 as it chases a repeat of the treble it won in 2013.
The Champions League was Madrid's best remaining chance of salvaging a trophy from a troubled season. The 15-time European champion is now facing a second year without a trophy after its fourth match without a win across all competitions.
Madrid was held 1-1 at home by Girona in La Liga last weekend, allowing Barcelona to open a nine-point lead, while it was knocked out of the Spanish Cup by second-division side Albacete Balompié in January, a result that contributed to Xabi Alonso's dismissal as coach.
Unless Barcelona squanders its sizable lead in the remaining seven rounds of the league, Kylian Mbappé's drought in major trophies since joining the club in 2024 will continue.
A 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal advance 1-0 on aggregate.
Arsenal has never won the European Cup and only once reached the final. But it is now just two games away from this year’s showpiece in Budapest, Hungary.
Kai Havertz’s late winner in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Portugal last week proved to be decisive as Sporting failed to find a breakthrough in London.
It is the fourth time Arsenal has advanced to the semifinals, having lost to eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain at that stage last season.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe lies on the pitch after injuring during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Luis Diaz, center, celebrates with Dayot Upamecano right, and Jonathan Tah after scoring his their third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
Bayern's Luis Diaz, right, scores his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts at the end of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lennart Preiss)
Bayern's Luis Diaz, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, left, watches Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during a training session ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Kim Min-jae and Bayern's Harry Kane exercise during a training session ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Kim Min-jae and Bayern's Harry Kane having fun during a training session ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham exercises during a training session ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts during a training session ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
