...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The U.S. Coast Guard is facing criticism after The Washington Post reported that it allowed a new workplace harassment policy to go into effect that classifies swastikas as “potentially divisive,” rather than a hate symbol.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement to Newsweek 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.
Read More on News
Why It Matters
The backlash comes amid growing concerns about antisemitism both in the United States and across the globe, particularly after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia over the weekend. In the United States, the FBI reported 2,137 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024, up from 2,002 in 2023, according to the latest report on hate crimes.
What to Know
The Post reported on Tuesday that the new harassment policy had gone into effect. The publication first reported on the plans in November, and the Trump administration denied it. Admiral Kevin Lunday issued a memo prohibiting swastikas following the report. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told the Post its reporting is “pathetic” and “false,” the publication reported.
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.”
...
McLaughlin wrote in a statement to Newsweek 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 said.
She pointed to Lunday’s memo that prohibits and lists swastikas and nooses as “divisive or hate symbols.”
The report drew scrutiny toward the Coast Guard. Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, criticized the move in a statement.
“Swastikas and nooses aren’t ‘potentially divisive’ - they are symbols of racist and antisemitic hate, violence, and genocide,” she said. “By no longer classifying them as hate symbols, the federal government is further normalizing violent extremism rather than preventing it.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, criticized the policy during a speech on the Senate floor.
“The new policy of the Coast Guard is shameful,” he said. “It’s dangerous, and another troubling instance of the Trump administration normalizing the threat of Nazism and white supremacy.”
Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, criticized the policy in a post to X.
“At a time of a disturbing global rise in antisemitism, it is indefensible for the U.S. Coast Guard to re-classify swastikas as ‘potentially divisive’ rather than what they plainly are: symbols of hate. A swastika is not potentially divisive. It is absolutely disgusting. This is a stain on our country,” he wrote.
The American Jewish Committee wrote to X, “We said it before, and we say it again: Nazi swastikas and nooses are not 'divisive.' They are antisemitic and racist. Nothing evoking the Holocaust or lynch mobs has any place in the Coast Guard or any of the U.S. Armed Forces.”
On Wednesday, Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Jacky Rosen of Nevada placed a hold on Lunday’s nomination to become the commandant of the Coast Guard over the report, the Post reported.
What People Are Saying
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote to X: “I'm outraged by the Coast Guard’s new policy tolerating hate symbols. At a time when antisemitic & racist violence is at unconscionable levels, it is absolutely appalling that DHS is doubling down. I’m writing to Sec. Noem to demand this action be rescinded immediately.”
Senator Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, wrote to X: “According to this newest reporting, it seems that Admiral Lunday and the Coast Guard have gone back on their commitment to clearly stating what their policy towards swastikas and nooses is and, instead, have implemented a policy that downgrades the seriousness of these hate symbols. When this news broke, my team immediately reached out to the Coast Guard to attempt to get clarification as to what had happened, only for the Coast Guard to evade our questions and refuse to give a straight answer.”
What Happens Next
The policy went into place on December 15, according to the guidance.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines