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Trump’s Pick to Lead U.S. Military Has Tattoos Linked to White Supremacists and Nazis
(www.democracynow.org)
this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
646 points (98.4% liked)
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There's a version of the Jerusalem Cross used by Episcopalian service members, according to Wikipedia. I'm not American, so I don't know the exact connotation of the symbol on that side of the pond, it could still be harmless. As an outsider, I'd associate it with the crusades (or the country of Georgia), but it doesn't have to be intended that way.
Now, the fact that he's a Trump appointee automatically makes him suspect, of course, but it's less like "He has a Nazi tattoo, therefore Trump appointed a Nazi" and more "Trump appoints Nazis, therefore the tattoo is a Nazi tattoo".
It's a symbol that's been coopted by hate groups. I understand the reticence to call it a hate symbol as it can be used by people in a different cultural context. The far right took Celtic runes and the Celtic cross from me and my people and turned them into symbols of hate. They've done it with Norse runes as well. It's what they do, the swastika was originally a symbol of peace and trust.
So yes context matters. Trump appoints alt right nut jobs who twist the meaning of cultural symbols so that they can spread a message of hate. This is what I am upset about, and likely others are as well.