The Department of Homeland Security and Coast Guard denied reports on Thursday about an upcoming change in how the branch will address symbols including swastikas and nooses.
Under a new Coast Guard policy set to be implemented in December, swastikas and nooses are listed as “potentially divisive symbols.” That’s a change from the previous hazing and harassment policy, which classifies display of one of these symbols as a “potential hate incident.”
The new policy was first reported by The Washington Post, which spoke to an unnamed Coast Guard official who condemned the language change, and confirmed by Newsweek.
DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the Post’s report as “an absolute ludicrous lie and unequivocally false.”
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Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandment of the Coast Guard, told NOTUS that swastikas, nooses and other symbols will continue to be prohibited.
“The claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false,” he said in a statement. “These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy. Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished.”
“The Coast Guard remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and professional workplace,” Lunday continued. “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.”
Former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military, was dismissed on President Donald Trump’s first day in office for what administration officials then described as her emphasis on diversity initiatives and her handling of sexual assault investigations.
Lunday, Fagan’s successor, quickly ordered the suspension of the Coast Guard’s hazing and harassment policy, which included “hate incident” language.
The new policy does away entirely with the “potential hate incident” label. “Conduct previously handled as a potential hate incident, including those involving symbols widely identified with oppression or hatred, is processed as a report of harassment in cases with an identified aggrieved individual, or in accordance with Chapter 11 of this Instruction,” the new policy stated. “The terminology ‘hate incident’ is no longer present in policy.”
The Coast Guard official who spoke to the Post said the new policy will also make it harder to report potential harassment due to a new 45-day deadline to report an incident.
Although the Coast Guard is not overseen by the Department of Defense, other branches of the armed services have followed guidance from the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to change policies and training around harassment, arguing the existing policies were overly broad and decreased combat readiness. Trump signed an executive order at the beginning of his term to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the armed services.
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