According to documents reviewed by The Washington Post, the policy planned to go into effect on December 15 would have classified the swastika as “potentially divisive” only, and not as a hate symbol. The newspaper noted that the Nazi symbol is inextricably linked to fascism, white supremacy, the murder of millions of Jews and the death of over 400,000 American soldiers who fought in World War II. The classification of hanging ropes and the Confederate flag was also to be downgraded, although the display of the latter would remain prohibited.
Following the report, the Coast Guard published the new and strict policy. “The Coast Guard has zero tolerance for the display of divisive or hateful symbols and flags, including those associated with oppression or hatred,” the updated policy reads. “These symbols reflect hateful and forbidden behavior, which undermines the unity of the unit.”
In a press release, the agency emphasized that this is not an update but a “new policy to combat misinformation and to emphasize that the US Coast Guard prohibits these symbols.” The prohibited list includes, among other things, a noose, a swastika, and “any symbol or flag adopted by hate-based groups” as representing supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, anti-Semitism, or any other improper bias.