9 Most Popular Symbols Of Hate And Racism

Are you looking for symbols of hate and racism?

Prejudice, discrimination, and antagonism directed against other people for whatever reason have been around since the dawn of time. Symbols of hate and racism have been used in ages past and even in today’s society.

The US-based international Jewish NGO Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has listed a number of symbols that have been or still being used for hateful and racist purposes. These include a wide range of representations from flags to hate group logos, signs, numbers, acronyms, phrases, gestures, and other images.

In this list, we will tackle some of the most popular symbols of hate and racism that have been used then and now by white supremacists and other extremists – symbols which have meanings that are not always obvious to the common observer.

Let’s jump right in.

9 Most Popular Symbols of Hate and Racism

1. Confederate Flag

A common white supremacist symbol, the Confederate flag has long represented hate against non-white people in the United States.

This battle flag has also symbolized defiance and rebellion. White supremacists have claimed it as their own emblem and the Southerners mythologized it as their heritage.

The Confederate flag consists of a red background with a blue St. Andrew’s Cross with 13 white stars to represent the Confederate states.

The Confederate flag is also known by many other names such as the “rebel flag,” the “Dixie flag,” and “the Southern Cross.” It was created in 1861 to represent the Confederacy (the Confederate States of America or CSA), a rebellion spawned by the election of Abraham Lincoln to the White House. However, the Confederate flag was never the CSA’s official emblem.

Although the CSA dissolved at the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the Confederate flag continues to be displayed in modern times.

We have seen this symbol in the early January of 2021, when supporters of then President Tump carried the flag at a rally that led to the armed siege to the U.S. Capitol. It was also seen in the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

2. Swastika

Did you know that before the Nazis came to power, the swastika was used as a talisman of good fortune? It was a rather common practice in the early 1900s.

The swastika was used to symbolize well-being in ancient societies – from China and India to Europe, Africa, and native America. The symbol had been used for at least 5,000 years before it became the centerpiece of the Nazi flag in 1920. Hitler combined it with red, black, and white – the three colors of the German Imperial flag.

Today the symbol is associated with and used by certain extremist groups to promote hate and racism. The swastika, together with other Nazi symbols, are banned in various countries, including Germany.

3. SS Lightning Bolts

This Nazi symbol denotes the elite military arm of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, the Schutzstaffel or SS. The SS were the supervisors of the Nazi death camps and maintained the police state of Nazi Germany.

The SS Lightning Bolts sign is also called Cracker Bolts and Thunderbolts.

This symbol is derived from the sun rune called “sowilo” from the pre-Roman runic alphabet. The sowilo is associated with the “s” sound and resembles a lightning bolt.

4. Blood Drop Cross

The blood drop cross is one of the best-known signs of the American supremacist group Ku Klux Klan.

The blood drop symbol features a square white cross in black outline and a circular red background, with a drop of red blood in the center of the cross.

This symbol, according to the Klansmen’s belief, represents the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross as a sacrifice for the white race.

5. Golliwog

Considered as an anti-black imagery, the Golliwog – originally spelled Golliwogg – or Golly for short, started as a character in a story book by Florence Kate Upton. The book, published in London in 1895, was entitled The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls.

Golliwogs are dolls usually made of cloth or ceramic. They are grotesque creatures with jet black skin, huge eyes, red clown lips, and wild, frizzy hair.

The male doll is traditionally dressed in a combination of red, blue, and white jacket, trousers, stand-up collar, and bow tie. The female gollies are popularly dressed as servants with apron and bandanna.

Golliwogs are also featured on brooches, jam jars, perfume bottles, pottery, postcards, and others.

Of all the items on this list, the Golliwog is perhaps the most beloved. It has long been argued whether it is a racist symbol or an icon collected and loved by children through generations past.

6. Crossed Hammers

The Crossed Hammers sign represents many Skinheads from America, Europe, and Australia that employ the word “hammer” as part of their supremacist groups’ names. One of these is the Hammerskins, a large and very well-organized racist skinhead gang with a long history of violence.

Many supremacist groups incorporate the crossed hammers sign into their own symbols.

7. Iron Cross

The Iron Cross is a famous German military medal from the 19th century. The Iron Cross became a symbol of hate when, in the 1930s, the Nazis superimposed a swastika on the traditional military medal.

The medal was discontinued after World War II, but the neo-Nazis and other white supremacist groups adopted and used the Iron Cross sign for hateful purposes.

The Iron Cross was also adopted by outlaw bikers, skateboarders, and other extreme sports enthusiasts in America for its shock value or to show rebellion and not in support of any white supremacist ideology.

8. 14 Words

In 2004, a supremacist was arrested for an attempt to firebomb a synagogue in Oklahoma, USA. According to ADL’s report , the man was planning on committing 14 terrorist acts, in accordance with the symbolic number 14 which stands for “14 Words.”

The “14 Words” is shorthand for a slogan coined by David Lane, an imprisoned member of a neo-Nazi group called the Silent Brotherhood. These 14 words are: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children.”

9. 88

The number “88” refers to “Heil Hitler,” H being the 8th letter in the alphabet.

This number has been used for hateful purposes and crimes, such as the 2008 plot to assassinate then US President Barack Obama. According to this report, skinheads had planned on killing 88 African-Americans, 14 of which were to be beheaded, to symbolize the 14 Words.