Coast Guard drops ‘hate incident’ term for symbols like swastikas

The Coast Guard is downplaying its policy change to no longer call displays of swastikas and nooses a “hate incident” — after distributing new guidance aimed at removing the term “hate incident” from its vocabulary altogether.

While the department previously identified displays of swastikas, nooses, Confederate flags and other supremacist or anti-Semitic symbols as a “potential hate incident,” the new guidance now calls them “potentially divisive symbols and flags.” The change was first reported by the Washington Post.

Despite the change, the Coast Guard says it remains committed to banning the service’s symbols and penalizing those who display them. Additionally, he said he still considers the symbols to be “extremist images.”

“Claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false,” Adm. Kevin Lunay, acting commander of the Coast Guard, said in a statement Thursday to Fox News Digital. “These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard in accordance with policy.”

The Coast Guard is downplaying its policy change to no longer call displays of swastikas and nooses a “hate incident.” (US Coast Guard)

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“Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished,” Monday said. “The Coast Guard remains steadfast 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 are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy.

The new guidance states that public display of the Confederate battle flag is prohibited and will be removed from all Coast Guard workplaces, common access areas, public spaces or operational installations. Previous guidelines also prohibited such public display of the Confederate battle flag.

Commanders and other leaders are instructed to inquire about public displays of other symbols identified as “potentially divisive” and have the authority to order or direct the removal of those that negatively impact morale and mission readiness.

The Coast Guard said its updates to its harassment policy were in compliance with orders from President Donald Trump and the Pentagon. (Marta Lavandier/Associated Press)

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The guidelines also state that they are completely eradicating the term “hate incident” and that incidents that were previously treated as a “potential hate incident” will not be treated as a report of harassment.

“Behavior previously treated as a potential hate incident, including those involving symbols broadly identified with oppression or hatred, is treated as a report of harassment in cases involving an identified aggrieved individual…The terminology ‘hate incident’ is no longer present in the policy,” the new guidance states.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on why it removed the term “hate incident” from its new guidance.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (R) pilots a small U.S. Coast Guard response boat with the Maritime Security Response Team in San Diego, March 16, 2025. (Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP)

The new guidelines also place certain limits on when reports of harassment can be made. The updated policy states that reports of harassment, excluding those of sexual harassment, must be made within 45 calendar days of an incident. The new guidance states that there is some “discretion for reports to be accepted beyond this time frame”.

This is a departure from the department’s previous policy, which did not include a deadline for reporting these incidents.

After the Post’s initial report on the update, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, said there was no room for debate over whether nooses or swastikas were symbols of hate.

“Lynching is a federal hate crime. The world defeated the Nazis in 1945. The debate over these symbols is over. They symbolize hatred,” Larsen, whose committee has oversight authority over the Coast Guard, said Thursday. “Coast Guard: Be Better.”

The Coast Guard is the only branch of the military that falls under the Department of Homeland Security, but has launched initiatives, including Force Design 2028, to reorganize its organizational structure, acquisitions, contracting and technology, among other changes, to align more closely with other services that fall under the purview of the War Department.

The Coast Guard said its updates to its harassment policy were in compliance with orders from President Donald Trump and the Pentagon.

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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on whether it was considering similar policy changes for its military branches. However, War Secretary Pete Hegseth asked the Pentagon to conduct a review of its hazing and harassment policies in September.

The Pentagon also has its own set of extremism guidelines, which effectively prohibit displaying Confederate flags or those bearing a swastika. Only pre-approved flags, including state flags or military service flags, are permitted.