US Coast Guard reverses policy that downgraded swastikas and nooses

The US Coast Guard has reversed controversial changes to its workplace harassment policy after widespread backlash from lawmakers, deleting language that had downgraded swastikas and nooses from explicit hate symbols to items described as “potentially divisive.”

In a message sent on December 18 to all Coast Guard personnel, Acting Commandant Kevin Lunday said the revisions had been “completely removed” from the policy manual. A copy reviewed by The Washington Post shows the relevant section now obscured in the table of contents, with readers directed instead to a separate civil rights manual governing discrimination and harassment.

Lunday also confirmed that a directive he issued last month, explicitly banning swastikas and nooses, remains in force. That clarification came after lawmakers expressed outrage that the revised harassment manual, which took effect earlier this week, appeared to weaken longstanding prohibitions on symbols universally associated with antisemitism and racial violence.

The reversal prompted Senators Tammy Duckworth and Jacky Rosen to lift their holds on Lunday’s nomination to become the Coast Guard’s permanent commandant. Both senators had cited the policy changes as the reason for blocking the nomination earlier in the week.

The controversy unfolded over several weeks following reporting by The Washington Post that revealed the Coast Guard intended to replace earlier language that clearly identified swastikas, nooses, and the Confederate flag as hate symbols. Under the previous policy, such displays were defined as potential hate incidents. Despite Lunday’s earlier promise to reverse course, the disputed wording remained when the new manual was implemented.

Two people familiar with the policy overhaul said the Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, sought to remove the language but was unable to do so, though the reasons remain unclear.

The policy review began shortly after the Trump administration dismissed Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard’s first female commandant, citing what officials described as an excessive focus on diversity and inclusion. Lunday suspended the original manual soon after taking over and was later nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the service.

The delay in correcting the language drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties amid rising concerns about antisemitism. Several said they were angered that an official government document could characterise symbols tied to genocide and racial terror as merely “potentially divisive.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the language was removed to prevent misrepresentation of the Coast Guard’s position on hate symbols. DHS and the Coast Guard have not clarified whether Lunday acted independently or with departmental approval.

By Tamilla Hasanova