In the latest development, the U.S. Coast Guard removed policy-manual language that had described swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive,” after the change drew sharp public and political pushback. Reporting described internal plans that would have downgraded how such symbols are treated in official guidance, prompting renewed scrutiny of the service’s rules on hate incidents. Coast Guard leaders said the relevant entry was deleted from the manual, while pointing readers to separate civil-rights policies.

Highlights:

• Manual edit: The revised section was replaced by a large black bar with instructions to consult the Coast Guard’s civil rights policies in a different manual.
• Ban asserted: Acting Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday said a prior directive barring the display of hate symbols “remains in full effect,” even as the specific manual entry was removed.
• Confirmation hold: Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren had placed a hold on Lunday’s Senate confirmation over the revision and later lifted it after he moved to restore the previous approach.
• Second reversal: The Coast Guard’s move marked a second about-face after a similar episode in November, when easing restrictions on nooses and swastikas triggered public outcry.
• Leadership context: President Donald Trump tapped Lunday to lead the Coast Guard after suspending a policy manual that listed symbols such as the swastika, Confederate flag and noose under potential hate incidents, and after the administration fired then-Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan.

Perspectives:

• U.S. Coast Guard leadership: The service removed the “potentially divisive” language from the policy manual and directed readers to civil-rights guidance elsewhere, while maintaining that an earlier prohibition on displaying hate symbols still applies. (The Washington Post)
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Sen. Elizabeth Warren: The senators used a confirmation hold to object to the policy change and later lifted the hold after the Coast Guard reversed course. (AlterNet)
• News coverage highlighting the policy shift: Coverage emphasized that the entry’s removal followed reporting and backlash over plans to reclassify certain hate symbols as “potentially divisive.”. (The Seattle Times)

Sources:

• Coast Guard drops references to swastikas and nooses being ‘potentially divisive’ - seattletimes.com
• Coast Guard abruptly deletes swastika, noose entry from policy manual - washingtonpost.com
• Coast Guard does abruptly reverses course on hate symbols after widespread backlash - alternet.org
• Coast Guard drops references to swastikas and nooses being 'potentially divisive' - abcnews.go.com