Nooses put up in Mississippi ahead of Senate run-off

A number of nooses have been placed around the Mississippi State Capitol referencing the racially charged run-off for the Senate on Tuesday.

The five nooses and signs were affixed to trees ahead of the Senate election between Democrat Mike Espy and Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.

The latter has come under fire for saying she attended a "public hanging" and comments regarding voter suppression, something her campaign team later said was supposed to be a joke.

"On Tuesday Nov. 27, thousands of Mississippians will vote for a senator. We need someone who respects the lives of lynch victims," one sign read.

"We're hanging nooses to remind people that times haven't changed," another sign said.

For example, one of the signs references the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was hung for allegedly whistling at a white woman in 1955.

It was reported on Friday that Hyde-Smith had attended Lawrence County Academy in Brookhaven, Mississippi. It was a "segregated academy" which was created to avoid the state-wide ruling for integrated schools.

Hyde-Smith said her comments regarding attending a hanging had been twisted.

In a recent debate, Espy told Hyde-Smith: "No one twisted your comments. They came out of your mouth.

"I don't know what's in your heart — but we all know what came out of your mouth...It's caused our state harm. It's given our state another black eye that we don't need."