Rosen Condemns Change in Coast Guard Policy Removing Classification of Swastikas, Nooses As Hate Symbols

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism and a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Coast Guard, released a statement in response toa shocking new reportthat the Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas and nooses as symbols whose display constitute “potential hate incidents” under its new guidelines.
“At a time when antisemitism is rising in the United States and around the world, relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to the men and women of our Coast Guard, but it puts their safety at risk,”said Senator Rosen.“This updated policy rolls back important protections against bigotry and could allow for horrifically hateful symbols like swastikas and nooses to be inexplicably permitted to be displayed. The Trump Administration must reverse course and reinstate the strong protections against hate symbols immediately.”
For years, Senator Rosen has worked across party lines to combat antisemitism and hate crimes and prevent efforts to do so from becoming politicized. Rosen helped launch the first-ever Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) andled the pushto create the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen introducedbipartisan legislationto strengthen Holocaust education. She also introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning recent antisemitic attacks in the United States, and a bipartisan resolution commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz that unanimously passed the Senate. Last year, herbipartisan legislationto reauthorize theNever Again Education Actbecame law.
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