November 21, 2025, 07:41November 21, 2025, 07:41
According to a media report, the US Coast Guard no longer considers swastikas to be hate symbols. Instead, the symbol of the Nazi era is being classified as “potentially divisive” according to a new guideline, reports the Washington Post. Acting Coast Guard Commander Admiral Kevin Lunday told the newspaper that any display, use or promotion of such banned symbols would continue to be thoroughly investigated and severely punished.
The swastika would no longer be classified as a hate symbol. (symbol image)Image: EPA/EPA
However, the Coast Guard declined to comment directly on why its new policy no longer classifies swastikas as hate symbols, according to the report. Spokeswoman Jennifer Plozai said they disagreed with the reporting but planned to review the policy changes.
The swastika was the official symbol of National Socialism, and in 1935 it became the symbol of the Nazi state. Unlike in the USA, using and displaying the swastika is punishable in Germany.
The Coast Guard’s new directive is scheduled to come into effect on December 15, the newspaper reported. The noose, a symbol of the former lynchings in the USA, as well as the Confederate flag, are therefore only seen as divisive. According to critics, the flag glorifies the former slave owners of the southern states.
Department of Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem.Image: keystone
The US Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, led by Kristi Noem. (sda/dpa)
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