US Coast Guard to drop Swastika, noose from list of hate symbols: Report

The Coast Guard will classify the Swastika as “potentially divisive” under new guidelines. The Coast Guard is not officially part of the US Department of Defense, but the service has been reworking its policies to align with the Trump administration’s stance on hazing and harassment within the US military.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active (WMEC 618) at PORT ANGELES, Washington DC (Pic credit: US Coast Guard)

The US Coast Guard has decided to no longer classify the ‘Swastika’ as a ‘hate symbol’, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The Swastika in the West is considered a symbol of fascism and white supremacy that led to the death of 4 lakh Jews in Nazi Germany.

The Coast Guard will instead classify it as “potentially divisive” under the new guidelines. The Coast Guard is not officially part of the US Department of Defense, but the service has been reworking its policies to align with the Trump administration’s stance on hazing and harassment within the US military.

In September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a review of those pre-existing policies, which he called “overly broad” and said jeopardise troops’ combat preparedness.

However, Coast Guard spokeswoman Jennifer Plozai refuted the claim in a telephonic interview, The Washington Post reported.

The Coast Guard declined to address why its new policy no longer characterises Swastikas, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols. As per the Washington Post, Admiral Kevin Lunday, the service’s acting commandant, affirmed that such symbols “and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy”.

“Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished,” Lunday added.

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