Holocaust survivor warns that hate speech is dangerous
Holocaust survivor Fred Kurtz has been speaking publicly about his experiences for decades, warning of the consequences of unchecked hate speech.
In new documents reviewed by USA TODAY on Thursday, Nov. 20, the U.S. Coast Guard calls the swastika and noose “potentially divisive symbols.”
Coast Guard guidelines on “harassment conduct” scheduled to take effect Dec. 15 give symbols and “flags adopted or adopted by hate-based groups” the “potential to cause discord” label. The service had previously investigated displays of such symbols as “potential hate incidents.”
The latest harassment regulations state that “symbols and flags that may cause discord include, but are not limited to, nooses, swastikas, and any symbols or flags adopted or adopted by hate-based groups as expressing superiority, racial or religious intolerance, or other bigotry.”
Displaying the symbol may still warrant a harassment investigation, but the service no longer recognizes hate incidents as a specific category of misconduct, according to the document.
The Washington Post first reported on the guidelines, saying the Coast Guard had revised its policies “in line with the Trump administration’s changing tolerance for harassment and abuse within the U.S. military.” The Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security and is headed by Secretary Kristi Noem.
Coast Guard and Trump administration officials quickly disputed the media report, even though the documents were made public.
“The claim that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses, and other extremist images as prohibited symbols is completely false,” Rear Adm. Kevin Landay, acting commander of the Coast Guard, told USA TODAY on Thursday, Nov. 20.
“These symbols have been and continue to be prohibited by Coast Guard policy,” the admiral said in an email. “As always, the display, use, and promotion of such symbols will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished. 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 will be treated with the gravity they deserve under current policy.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also denied the report in a post on X.
The Anti-Defamation League, a non-governmental organization that fights anti-Semitism, responded to the Post’s report, saying the swastika “has no place in any workplace or military.”
According to the ADL, the swastika image adopted by Nazi Germany “has served as the most important and notorious symbol of hatred, anti-Semitism, and white supremacy in most parts of the world.” Nooses have long been a painful reminder of the lynchings of black Americans.
“The hanging noose has become one of the most powerful visual symbols directed against African Americans, comparable to the swastika for Jews in terms of the emotions it evokes,” the ADL said on its website.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, also responded to the Post’s X report, saying swastikas and nooses are not “potentially divisive” and are “representations of genocide and lynching.”
USA TODAY’s Davis Winkie contributed to this report.
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund
