US Coast Guard sparks fury with outrageous Swastika move

The US Coast Guard is facing criticism over its new workplace harassment policy (Image: Getty)

The US Coast Guard has sparked outrage after its new workplace harassment policy downgraded swastikas from hate symbols to "potentially divisive". The new policy took effect on Monday (December 15), according to The Washington Post, which cited a memo sent from the Coast Guard to Congress earlier this week.

The Post first reported on the plans in November, which Donald Trump's administration denied at the time. Just hours later, Coast Guard Admiral Kevin Lunday issued a memo on November 20 denouncing symbols like swastikas and nooses, and insisted that both will remain prohibited for Coast Guard personnel. The policy, reported by The Post, reads: "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".

Coast Guard Admiral Kevin Lunday was installed by Trump the day after his second inauguration (Image: Getty)

According to Newsweek, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement that the report was a "pathetic attempt to smear the men and women of the Coast Guard by pushing a demonstrably false storyline".

“There never was a ‘downgrade,’ in fact, the 2025 version changes of the USCG Harassing Behaviors Prevention, Response, and Accountability Instruction strengthens our ability to report, investigate, and prosecute those who violate longstanding policy,” she wrote.

She added that the policy “doubles down and clarifies the strength of our existing policies that prohibit divisive or hate symbols and flags, and strengthens our processes for preventing and responding to hate incidents".

“To combat the very misinformation and lies that the Washington Post is again trying to spread, the November 20 policy and lawful order was issued to further clarify the display of divisive and hate symbols and flags prohibited as a violation of Coast Guard policy and the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” she added, before pointing to Coast Guard Admiral Lunday's memo that prohibits and lists swastikas and nooses as “divisive or hate symbols".

Trump's government has been accused of normalising violent extremism by opponents (Image: Getty)

Mr Trump installed Kevin Lunday as the commandant of the Coast Guard after he fired Admiral Linda Fagan, the day after his second inauguration, who he claimed was too focused on "non-mission-critical" diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The report has sparked fierce criticism of the Coast Guard, with Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, writing: “Swastikas and nooses aren’t ‘potentially divisive’ - they are symbols of racist and antisemitic hate, violence, and genocide. By no longer classifying them as hate symbols, the federal government is further normalizing violent extremism rather than preventing it.”

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, criticised the policy during a speech in the Senate: “The new policy of the Coast Guard is shameful,” he said. “It’s dangerous, and another troubling instance of the Trump administration normalising the threat of Nazism and white supremacy".

The backlash comes amid growing concerns about antisemitism across the world, particularly after an Australian mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday (December 14), which saw at least 15 people shot and killed.