Coast Guard Quickly Reverses Swastika Policy

The US Coast Guard released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of hate symbols like swastikas and nooses just hours after it was publicly revealed that it made plans to describe them as "potentially divisive"—a term that prompted outcry from lawmakers and advocates. "Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited," the latest Coast Guard policy, released late Thursday, declared before adding that this category included "a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups."

"This is not an updated policy but a new policy to combat any misinformation and double down that the US Coast Guard forbids these symbols," an accompanying press release said.

• The late-night change came on the same day that media outlets, led by the Washington Post, discovered that the Coast Guard had written a policy earlier this month that called those same symbols "potentially divisive." The term was a shift from a years-long policy, first rolled out in 2019, that said symbols like swastikas and nooses were "widely identified with oppression or hatred" and called their display "a potential hate incident."
• Thursday night's policy also unequivocally banned the display of any divisive or hate symbols from all Coast Guard locations. The earlier version stopped short of banning the symbols, instead saying that commanders could take steps to remove them from public view and that the rule did not apply to private spaces outside of public view, such as family housing. Both policies maintained a long-standing prohibition on publicly displaying the Confederate flag outside of a handful of situations, such as educational or historical settings.

• The Post reports that the changes came after the White House and the Department of Homeland Security falsely claimed its reporting was inaccurate.
• After the initial policy change became public, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said the change "rolls back important protections against bigotry and could allow for horrifically hateful symbols like swastikas and nooses to be inexplicably permitted to be displayed."
• Admiral Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said the policy did not roll back any prohibitions, calling it "categorically false" to claim otherwise.

• The older policy that was rolled out earlier in November also explicitly said that "the terminology 'hate incident' is no longer present in policy" and conduct that would have previously been handled as a potential hate incident will now be treated as "a report of harassment in cases with an identified aggrieved individual." The newest policy is silent on whether Coast Guard personnel will be able to claim they were victims of hate incidents.
• The Post notes that "significant questions" remain about who ordered symbols like swastikas to be labeled only "potentially divisive." The Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security, but it is still considered a part of America's armed forces and the new policy was updated in part to be consistent with similar Pentagon directives.
• The policy change comes less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a review of all the hazing, bullying, and harassment definitions across the military, arguing that the policies were "overly broad" and they were "jeopardizing combat readiness, mission accomplishment, and trust in the organization," the AP reports.