Kid Rock has refused to stop using the Confederate flag during his concerts, despite protestors in his native Detroit calling on him to denounce the controversial symbol. The flag has been the subject of heated debate in the US for nearly 150 years, but the argument was recently reignited after the June 17 massacre of nine people at a church in Charleston, S.C.

Kid RockKid Rock has told protestors they can ‘kiss his ass’ over the use of the Confederate flag.

According to E! News earlier this week about a dozen members of Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network protested in front of the Detroit Historical Museum which features a Kid Rock exhibit, asking the star to denounce the Confederate flag.

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In a statement to Fox News' Megyn Kelly, Kid Rock answered the protestors by saying, ”Please tell the people who are protesting to kiss my ass/Ask me some questions.” The museum has also stood by the singer, telling WXYZ, "The Kid Rock Music Lab is one of 10 permanent exhibitions at the Detroit Historical Museum.”

"Kid Rock’s contribution to Detroit’s music history is significant and warrants his inclusion along with other key figures like Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin and Eminem. There are no displays of the Confederate flag in the Kid Rock Music Lab or anywhere else inside the Detroit Historical Museum.”

Rock frequently flies the confederate flag at his shows and he’s been heavily criticised in the past for his refusal to stop using it. In 2011, he received an award from the Detroit branch of the NAACP but was greeted by protesters at the ceremony, opposing his use of the flag.

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According to  the New York Times, Rock tried to justify his use of the flag at the ceremony saying that it was meant to pay tribute to the Lynyrd Skynyrd song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ which Rock samples in the song ‘All Summer Long’. “I’ve never flown that flag with any hate in my heart,” Rock was reported to have said. “Not one ounce.”