U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols

MSN ^ | 11/20/2025 | Tara Copp and Michelle Boorstein

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”

The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 U.S. troops who died fighting in World War II — as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month.

Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as “potentially divisive” under its new guidelines. The policy, set to take effect Dec. 15, similarly downgrades the classification of nooses and the Confederate flag, though display of the latter remains banned, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

Certain historical displays or artwork where the Confederate flag is a minor element are still permissible, according to the policy.

Though the Coast Guard is not part of the Defense Department, the service has been reworking its policies to align with the Trump administration’s changing tolerances for hazing and harassment within the U.S. military. In September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed a review and overhaul of those policies, calling the military’s existing standards “overly broad” and saying they jeopardize troops’ combat readiness.

The Coast Guard declined to provide comment before publication of this report. Subsequent to publication, Coast Guard spokeswoman Jennifer Plozai said by phone that the service disagreed with The Post’s reporting but intended to look into the policy changes.

“We will be reviewing the language,” Plozai said.

In a statement attributed to Adm. Kevin Lunday, the service’s acting commandant, the Coast Guard declined to address why its new policy no longer characterizes swastikas, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols. Lunday affirmed, though, that such...

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TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: startmovinggoalposts

[dfwgator]

Why do the Italians escape the stench of Fascism and WWII, I think most Americans probably think they were on our side rather than run by Mussolini and on Hitler’s side.

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Or why the Austrians seems to get off the hook, when some of the most fanatical Nazis were from Austria.

[ansel12]

It isn’t about them being the same as, it is about how completely they escape it, Russia, Italy, Japan all escape the evil branding of WWII and Hitler to some degree, or totally, they were all guilty and Japan should be known in the same way as Germany is, or close to it.

[aquila48]

What about “peace” sign and “COEXIST”?

[dfwgator]

And the Nazis were not white supremacists, but Norduc supremacists. They slaughtered blond blue eyed Poles

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Yet, Hitler admired Piłsudski. He even offered Poland to join the Anti-Comintern Pact, because he thought they would be useful when Germany made their eventual attack on the Soviet Union. When the Poles refused, it was from that point on that Hitler swore to eliminate the Polish race.

[RummyChick]

I need some context. I disagree with the swastika but whats this about a noose. Is this a noose like in that NASCAR hoax where it was just a pull on a garage door. Or is this a hangmans noose on the wooden thingamajig where you can clearly see they are hanging people

[PhiloBedo]

The Confederate flag, stars and bars and the battle jack should be considered patriotic and placed prominently to be seen.

[No name given]

Because the lefties are braindead.

[Fido969]

Why?

[Karl Spooner]

It makes all the nazis in Ukraine that we supported look like acceptable good guys now. How wonderful. What next, ISIS leaders visiting the White House and then calling MTG a "traitor"? Oh wait a minute......

.

[al baby]

And now they have come for the pennies

[tumblindice]

The left: “You’re a fascist Nazi racist white supremacist!”

Broken down: “You’re ... white!”
We’re way past sticks & stones.

[Cronos]

The left are collectivists - they want to ignore individuals and group people as “black”, “white”, “welfare” etc.

I note that new immigrants from Africa don’t want to be labelled “black” but by their ethnicity

[Cronos]

The Italians between the wars - the lower classes had strong, friendly feelings towards the USA and Americans, while the upper classes were Anglophiles.

They both despised Germanics (mostly Austrians due to history).

No wonder they didn’t want to fight for mustache man

[Cronos]

They do that because

1. they didn’t behave abominably towards the French or yugoslavs or Greeks

2. they were barely enthusiastic about an overseas empire

3. they switched half-way through (the same reason we don’t remember that the USSR entered the war as the Nutzi’s ally

[Cronos]

I find that picture horrifying