The Swastika Counter Project is committed to both counting and countering the contemporary proliferation of swastika incidents in the United States.
Our Mission
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1. Deepen Understandings
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2. Study Impacts
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3. Identify Links to D. Trump
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4. Identify Community Responses
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5. Share Data & Resources
#1. We are driven by a commitment to deepen contemporary understandings about swastikas.
As one of the oldest symbols on Earth, the swastika has led a complex life. Throughout history, the swastika has circulated as a symbol of benevolence and good will. It has been appropriated and weaponized by Aryan organizations, far-right nationalist movements, and most infamously, the Nazi Party. And today, despite its lingering benevolent meaning for many, Neo-nazi groups and other white supremacist groups use the swastika, among other symbols, to signify their allegiances and agendas.
In light of this paradoxical history, we recognize the longstanding significance the swastika has for many peoples and cultures in the United States and abroad. We even document instances in which the swastika functions in benevolent ways across the streets of America today. However, based on our research findings, today in the United States, the swastika is predominantly perceived as hate speech and consistently functions as an antisemitic act. We thus aim to demonstrate how the swastika, while often relegated to a historical past, is still very much alive — circulating occasionally as a benevolent symbol, but far more often as a rhetorical mark that spreads multidirectional hate and instigates numerous harmful consequences for Jewish and other racialized and minoritized communities across the United States.
#2. We are driven by a commitment to study how circulating swastikas function to uphold antisemitism and white power in the 21st century.
Antisemitism can be understood as an espousal of white supremacy and a mechanism of white nationalism that is constituted by perceptions, discourses, and practices that often manifest in acts of prejudice, hate, and violence toward Jews (and non-Jews). Today in the United States, many new visual signs are being weaponized by individuals, groups, and organizations to signify white supremacist beliefs and to promote white nationalist allegiances and agendas. Yet this project exposes how swastikas also still circulate widely with virulent texts and symbols to target not only Jewish communities but also other racialized and minoritized peoples and organizations and their allies. No matter their intentions, these swastika incidents have generated a spectrum of harmful consequences that contribute to longstanding efforts to maintain white power in the United States.
#3. We are driven by a commitment to identify the relationship between swastikas and Donald Trump.
In both the popular media and scholarly circles, Donald Trump’s rhetoric has long been associated with promulgating racism, antisemitism, and white nationalism as well as engendering hostility and violence both within the United States and abroad. Data findings indicate a strong link between Donald Trump and swastika incidents, with the swastika commonly being used to represent, support, and/or critique Trump’s perceived white nationalist agenda. While in some cases, it is unclear as to just what swastikas are saying about Trump, data findings indicate that regardless, there is a clear association that U.S. citizens are making between Trump and this historic weapon of antisemitism and symbol of white supremacy.
#4. We are driven by a commitment to identify how communities are responding to swastika incidents and struggling to adequately address antisemitism in the United States.
From New York to Colorado to Arizona, swastika incidents occurred at alarming rates across the country during the Trump administration. Data findings demonstrate that swastikas surfaced in a variety of towns, media, and places, often with racial and ethnic slurs that make direct threats to diverse peoples and communities. As communities are hit with acts of hate and violence, individual and collective trauma is experienced, adding to generational and intersectional traumas for many. Communities are responding through a variety of actions, some more successful than others. The Swastika Counter Project identifies the most common actions taken as communities struggle to adequately address antisemitism and white supremacy in their local environments.
#5. We are driven by a commitment to generate and share reliable, open source data and other resources to assist various stakeholders working on legislation, education, community support, and activism.
On this website, visitors will discover maps, data visualizations, and reports that document where swastikas surfaced during this Trump Administration, with what accompanying texts and signs the swastika circulated, who swastikas targeted, and how communities responded. Visitors will also find various data sets and educational resources to use for research, teaching, advocacy, activism, or other communicative needs. In making all of this open access, we hope to assist various stakeholders as they seek to identify and address how antisemitism and white nationalism are operating not only in their local communities but on a national scale.
These findings were made possible by a digital research method called iconographic tracking that was used over a five year period to identify, analyze, and visualize documented swastika incidents that occurred between 2016 and 2020. To collect and analyze data, we read through hundreds of documentations published in national and local newspapers, magazines, religious publications, student newspapers, organization websites, and social media sites, among other outlets. To ensure reliability, all incidents were cross checked across multiple reporting sources, and all data was double coded. To learn more about the motivation and process of our research, visit our data biography page.
Simplified Summary
This project is all about understanding the swastika symbol and its role in our society today. The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used in many different ways throughout history. It has been seen as a symbol of peace and goodwill, but it has also been used by groups like the Nazis to spread hate and violence.
- The project aims to show how the swastika is still circulates today, mostly as a symbol of hate and antisemitism. Even though some people still see it as a positive symbol, its largely perceived and functions in the United States as a tool of hate and violence, with specific aims toward Jewish and other minoritized communities.
- The project also looks at how the swastika connects to antisemitism, white supremacy and white nationalism in the contemporary United States. It shows how the swastika directs hate and instills harm and how different communities are impacted by its presence.
- One important focus of the project is looking at the connection between the swastika and Donald Trump. Trump’s words and actions have been linked to racism and antisemitism, and the project shows how the swastika is sometimes used to support or criticize his white nationalist ideas.
- The project also looks at how communities respond to swastika incidents and try to fight against antisemitism and white supremacy. It identifies common community stakeholders and explores which response actions are more successful than others, so various stakeholders can better respond to swastika incidents.
- Finally, the project provides reliable data and resources for people working on legislation, education, and activism to fight against hate and oppression. It offers maps, reports, and educational materials to help people understand and combat antisemitism and white nationalism in their communities.
All of this research was done using a method called iconographic tracking over five years, analyzing hundreds of documents from various sources to ensure accuracy and reliability. To learn more about the research process, visit the project’s data biography page.