2/14/22, 11:20 PM Decoding the pro-Trump insurrectionist flags and banners — Quartz

VEXILLOLOGY OF HATE

Decoding the flags and banners seen at the Capitol Hill insurrection

QUARTZ
Painful parade.

By Anne Quito & Amanda Shendruk

Published January 7, 2021 • Last updated December 10, 2021

Many in the rabid mob who stormed the US Capitol yesterday came armed
with a portable and potent weapon: a flag. There were large election banners,
battle colors from the American Civil War, neo-Nazi flare, Christian symbols,
and a smattering of national and state flags. Seen as a whole, they serve as a
twisted ideological quilt for those who believe that the US election was stolen
from incumbent president Donald Trump.
REUTERS/MIKE THEILER

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A Trump supporter parades a Confederate flag at the US

Capitol.

Of the various flags paraded around the seat of the US legislative branch, the
most incendiary was a battle pennant from the Confederate army. Widely
appropriated by white supremacists as a hate symbol, the “Southern Cross”
never has been paraded publicly inside the Capitol before, historians point
out. “It’s an outright affront to the government in its entirety,” says Antaeus
Edelsohn, a University of Richmond law student and vexillology enthusiast.

The ensign featuring St. Andrew’s cross with 11 stars was designed to identify
Confederate soldiers through the mist, fog, and gunpowder in the battlefields,
Edelsohn says. “Its purpose is specifically to stand out and say ‘we are against
the United States; we are against the union.’”

Laura Scofield, a graphic designer and member of the North American

Vexillological Association, contends that flags are “the most powerful artifact
ever designed.” Graphic marks, she explains, instantly gain emotional weight
when emblazoned on a piece of cloth. “They’re powerful because they’re
visible symbols of our identity,” Scofield says. “More than a cardboard sign,
flags are dynamic. They communicate ideas quickly especially when hoisted
to the heavens.” This contributes to the effect of a bigger, more unified rally
behind a cause.

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Dana Weiss (Taylor's Version)

@TheDanaWeiss
Watch as a “patriot” drops an American flag off a scaffold and replace it
with a Trump flag.
Watch on Twitter

3:52 PM · Jan 6, 2021

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Surveying the footage, artist-activist Mirko Ilić recognized several neo-Nazi

symbols in the crowd. As curator of the Tolerance Project and a scholar on
white supremacist iconography, he says watching the mayhem at the Capitol
felt a bit like déjà vu. “This is how things started in Yugoslavia,” notes Ilić,
who was born in the former socialist republic. White supremacists cling to
fascist iconography because Hitler’s army demonstrated how potent flags can
be when seen en masse, he explains.

“In my opinion, branding was truly invented by Nazi Germany. It was total
design,” Ilić says.“We have to be vigilant about these symbols because they’re
like tea leaves. You can see the future.”

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We took a closer look at the array of flags seen in this AFP photograph by
Roberto Schmidt, which we obtained via Getty Images:

Thin Blue Line flag
The black and white US flag with a blue line through
the center is controversial. For some it’s an emblem of
police solidarity, for others it’s a symbol of white
supremacy.
Confederate battle flag with gun silhouette
This rifle-adorned version of the Confederate battle
flag includes the words “Come and Take it,” a phrase
often used by gun rights activists.

Gadsden Flags Canadian flag

The yellow flag, with a coiled rattlesnake and the Other national flags were also spotted at the scene,
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y g g p
words “Don’t Tread on Me,” tends to symbolize including those of South Korea, Georgia, Israel,
opposition to restrictions and government oppression. Vietnam, Cuba, India, and Tonga.

Betsy Ross flag Trump 2020 campaign flags

An early version of the US flag, it has a circle of 13 A significant number of flags seen in the mob were
stars in the corner, representing the colonies that official and unofficial Trump 2020 campaign
fought for independence during the American merchandise.
Revolution.

And that’s just a small sampling of the flags on display. For more detail on
what we spotted in coverage of the insurrection, read on.

America First flag

Trump’s succinctly articulated foreign policy stance, immortalized in his 2016

inauguration speech, has been adopted by a” band of white nationalists and
far-right activists spearheaded by 22-year old political commentator Nick
Fuentes. They identify as “Groypers” or “America First boys”

Betsy Ross flag (1776)

An early version of the US flag, it has a circle of 13 stars in the corner,

representing colonies that fought for independence during the American
Revolution. Though not strictly a white supremacist symbol, it has been used
by some extremist groups as an emblem of a more traditional (read: white
and male-dominated) America.

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REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON
A Betsy Ross flag

Calvin peeing on Biden

This flag was adapted from a decal featuring a bastardized version of the
character Calvin, from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson.

Come and Take It flag (1835)

A symbol of defiance created by a band of Texans who resisted Mexican forces

in 1835, the flag features a slogan that has been co-opted by gun rights
activists, abortion rights advocates, marijuana enthusiasts, and even
McDonald’s. But the phrase was originally a battlecry for Texan
independence.

Culpeper Minutemen (1775)

This flag was used by militias around the town of Culpeper, Virginia, during
the American revolution, when “minutemen” (troops ready for duty in “a
minute’s warning”) got their name. The group’s rattlesnake flag bear the
words “ “Liberty or Death” and “Don’t Tread on Me“

Gadsen flag (1777)

The yellow flag, with a coiled rattlesnake and the words “Don’t Tread on Me,”
has origins before the American Revolution, but has recently been used by
the tea party movement, militia groups, and even in sports branding. Now,
the flag tends to symbolize opposition to restrictions and government
oppression.

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REUTERS/ERIN SCOTT
A Gadsden flag

Ichthys

This symbol, used by ancient Christians, has been adopted by several

conservative, religious groups supporting Trump. (Several protestors also
held up a Trumpian pirate flag with the words “Jesus is My Savior, Trump is
My President.”)

QAnon

Flags bearing the capital letter Q signal believers of the discredited far-

right conspiracy theory that a group of Satan worshipers are plotting to take
down Donald Trump.

Republic of Kekistan flag

This flag first appeared in 4 Chan in 2017, as a symbol for the made-up sect
who worship Kek, the ancient Egyptian deity of darkness.

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REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON
Battle banners

South Carolina Navy ensign (1778)

Used by South Carolinian naval fleets during the American Revolution and
the Civil War, it features a rattlesnake against a field of 13 stripes.

Stop the Steal flag

This flag features the battle cry for the right-wing conspiracy theory that
falsely posits that there was widespread fraud during the 2020 US
presidential election.

Thin blue line flag (1922)

For some, the black and white US flag with a blue line through the center is a
symbol of police solidarity. However, it has also been flown by white
supremacists at gatherings like the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in
Charlottesville.

Three Percenters flag (2008)

The Three Percenters are an American-Canadian faction described by the

Anti-Defamation League  as “anti-government extremists who are part of the
militia movement.” Their name is derived from the unproven claim that only
3% of Americans fought for independence during the American Revolution.
Their flag is similar to the Betsy Ross flag, with III (the Roman numeral for
three) in the middle of the circle of stars.

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REUTERS/STEPHANIE KEITH
A modern Three Percenter flag flies beside the Colonial-era Betsy Ross.

Trump 2020 banners

An enormous Trump campaign banner was the most visible flag draped in
front of the US Capitol. Several protestors also held up Trump 2024 flags,
alluding to Trump’s suggestion that he may run for office again.

Trump Rambo flag

“No man, no woman, no commie can stump him.” A cheesy incarnation of

Trump as Vietnam vet John Rambo, from the movie franchise starring
Sylvester Stallone, this flag was a common fixture at Trump rallies during the
US presidential campaign.

REUTERS/STEPHANIE KEITH

Alt-Right Rambo.

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Unleash the Kraken

This is a reference to a threat by Sidney Powell, a member of the Trump legal

team contesting the results of the US election. She was citing a line from the
movie Clash of the Titans, where Zeus orders a monstrous a giant squid to
destroy the city of Argo.

Upside down American flag

The US Flag Code stipulates that this can only be used in cases of “dire
distress and extreme danger to life or property.”

US Marine Corps standard flag (1939)

Several protestors hoisted the red pennant of the US Marine Corps. A

majority of military veterans voted for Trump, but his popularity among
younger, active-duty personnel dipped during the last election cycle,
according to a recent poll.

VDare/Lion Guards of Trump (2016)

This is the banner for an anti-immigration alt-right site founded by British-

born columnist Peter Brimelow. Its lion motif is traced back to a quote from
Benito Mussolini that Trump tweeted in 2016. It also has been used by the
Lion Guard, a civilian group formed to protect Trump and his supporters.

Virginia confederate battle flag (1861)

This battle pennant first used by Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s troops

in northern Virginia is often mistaken as the official flag of the pro-slavery
Confederacy (it wasn’t). The Ku Klux Klan began using it as a symbol in the
1940s. The state of Mississippi removed it from its official state flag in 2020.

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REUTERS/MIKE THEILER
A mix of flags inside the capitol building.

Miscellaneous flags
LGBTQ+ AND PRIDE FLAGS

“Gays for Trump” showed up at the Capitol. Despite the president’s numerous
attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, gay support for the Republican
agenda doubled from 2016 to 2020.

COUNTRY FLAGS

The flags of Canada, Cuba, Georgia, India, Israel, South Korea, and South
Vietnam were spotted in the mob. It’s unclear why many of these flags
appeared, though a number of the white supremacist and militia groups that
were present have international chapters. For example, the presence of the
Canadian flag could have been because the white nationalist group the Proud
Boys was founded by a Canadian.

STATE FLAGS

Georgia, Maryland, Texas: Several state flags were present. There was perhaps
some confusion about the official state flag of Georgia, as the symbol of the
Republic of Georgia. also was spotted on the scene.

twitter.com/eoinburgin/status/1346946053082378245

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Karen K. Ho contributed research to this story.

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