A new U.S. Coast Guard policy, set to take effect next month, will no longer classify imagery of swastikas or nooses as hate symbols, downgrading the level of scrutiny needed to order their removal from Coast Guard facilities.
The swastika is perhaps the best-known symbol of the Nazi regime in Germany, which systematically murdered 6 million Jewish people and millions of others during the Holocaust. Today, the swastika remains widely recognized as a symbol of antisemitism.
The new policy from the Coast Guard, which previously designated the swastika as a “hate symbol,” now labels it as merely “potentially divisive.” The same holds true for other racist symbols, including nooses, which have been used to lynch, torture, and terrorize Black people throughout U.S. history, particularly during the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Potentially divisive symbols and flags include, but are not limited to, the following: a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, or other bias,” the policy reads.
Under the previous guidance, Coast Guard commanders could immediately order the removal of such symbols upon discovery. The new guidance takes away the possibility of immediate removal.
“Commanders, commanding officers, officers-in-charge, and supervisors shall inquire into public displays of other potentially divisive symbols or flags and, in consultation with their servicing legal office, may order or direct the removal of those determined to adversely affect good order and discipline, unit cohesion, command climate, morale, or mission effectiveness,” the policy states.
The new policy only contains three instances of the word “hate” — two of which refer to how the term “hate incident” will no longer be used.
The policy also shrinks the timeframe in which a member of the Coast Guard can lodge a complaint regarding the display of potentially bigoted materials. Members must issue a complaint within 45 days of such a symbol being displayed, whereas before they had an unlimited amount of time to do so. Given that Coast Guard members can be deployed for months at a time, this makes the complaint process far more difficult.
“If you are at sea, and your shipmate has a swastika in their rack, and you are a Black person or Jew, and you are going to be stuck at sea with them for the next 60 days, are you going to feel safe reporting that up your chain of command?” an anonymous Coast Guard official said to The Washington Post.
“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,” that same official said.
The move comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on civil liberties, particularly at colleges and universities, under the guise of combating supposed antisemitism — a phrase the administration uses to refer to any opposition to Israel’s U.S.-sponsored genocide in Gaza.
Notably, years ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was himself flagged as a possible “insider threat” by a fellow service member during his time in the Army National Guard, due to a tattoo on his arm that has been associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth has long argued that military standards meant to combat hateful symbols are “overly broad” and in need of adjustment.
The new Coast Guard policy takes effect on December 15.
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