Coast Guard Reaffirms Ban on Hate Symbols Amid Backlash

The U.S. Coast Guard reaffirmed its prohibition on swastikas, nooses and other hate symbols late Thursday, issuing a directive that explicitly bans their display across all service workplaces, facilities and assets, just hours after reports surfaced of a proposed policy shift that had sparked widespread criticism.

Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday signed the memorandum on November 20, directing personnel to remove any such symbols and warning that violations could result in discipline. The order defines prohibited items as "divisive or hate symbols and flags," including a noose, a swastika and any emblems co-opted by hate-based groups to represent supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, antisemitism or other bias. It also restates the existing ban on the Confederate flag in Coast Guard spaces, such as barracks, housing exteriors and vehicles, with narrow exceptions for art, historical or educational contexts where the flag plays only an incidental role.

The controversy stemmed from an internal revision of the Coast Guard's policies on harassment and extremism. A February 2023 instruction had classified the display, presentation, creation or depiction of symbols like...