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Defense

Coast Guard Says Swastikas and Nooses ‘Have Been and Remain Prohibited’

A new policy change described swastikas as “potentially divisive symbols.” Officials dismissed reports that this constituted a change in how they would be handled.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem participates in a tour at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Charleston.

A Homeland Security spokesperson called the Washington Post’s article “an absolute ludicrous lie and unequivocally false.” Alex Brandon/AP

By Tyler Spence

November 20, 2025 05:19 p.m.

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.