OCALA, Fla. — Thousands of people have rallied in central Florida in support of flying the Confederate flag.

Police estimated 2,000 vehicles, mostly motorcycles and trucks adorned with the Civil War-era flag, took part in Sunday’s gathering in Ocala. The event was being held to back a decision by Marion County in that area of central Florida to return the Confederate flag to a display outside its government complex.

The Ocala Star-Banner reported participants wore shirts with phrases including “heritage not hate” and talked of defending Southern traditions.

A replica of the General Lee car from “The Dukes of Hazard” TV show led the procession.

One of the participants, Rick Hart, defended flying the Confederate flag, saying, “It’s a history thing. The flag is also a military flag. It’s not a race symbol.”

The Florida rally came weeks after the shooting deaths of nine people at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, that spurred a national debate about flying the Confederate flag. On Friday, South Carolina removed the flag from a pole near its Statehouse.