The Coast Guard is under fire for a new policy stripping the swastika, noose, and Confederate flag of their status as hate symbols. The policy, which goes into effect Dec. 15, will downgrade the swastika and the noose to "potentially divisive" symbols, reports the Washington Post. The policy published online keeps the display of the Confederate flag banned, though some historic displays are permitted. Reports of "potentially divisive" symbols will be investigated, but there's no requirement that they be removed. The policy states that the " terminology 'hate incident' is no longer present in policy" and conduct previously handled as a hate incident will be processed as a report of harassment.
The document describes "potentially divisive symbols and flags as 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," per Newsweek. Service members will have 45 days to report such symbols. The Post notes the previous policy had no such deadline, which could be especially problematic for service members serving months-long deployments. A Coast Guard official, speaking to the Post on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals, described the change as chilling, saying, "We don't deserve the trust of the nation if we're unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas."
The official was also troubled by the new 45-day reporting requirement, asking, "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?"
- The Coast Guard has been reworking its policies to align with the Trump administration's changing tolerances for hazing and harassment within the military. Former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was fired on Trump's first day in office due to her focus on diversity initiatives and her handling of sexual assault investigations, the Post reports.
- Her replacement, acting commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday, suspended the Coast Guard's hazing and harassment policy that, among its other guidance, said the swastika was among a "list of symbols whose display, presentation, creation, or depiction would constitute a potential hate incident." Nooses and Confederate flags also matched that description under the previous policy.
- The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard during peacetime, blasted the Post's report as an "absolute ludicrous lie and unequivocally false" on Thursday. In a statement, Lunday said: "The Coast Guard remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and professional workplace. Symbols such as swastikas, nooses and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy." Such symbols, he said, "have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy."
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