As reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the New York Times, and other sources, since the 2016 presidential election, we have witnessed a rise in incidents of hate and bias in the United States—from the increase of public displays of white nationalism to the increase of antisemitic threats to Jewish community centers to the increase in personally-mediated attacks against Muslim, Latino, and gay students.
Among such acts is the hypervisible circulation of swastikas on the streets of the United States.
In early 2017, for instance, news outlets reported that a man drew a swastika on a menu and handed it to a Black American server at a private party in Atlanta, GA. Two weeks prior to that, 30 swastikas were carved into wet cement in Brooklyn, NY just steps away from a Jewish Center and a Chabad. And six days prior to that, a large swastika was spray painted on the hood of a vehicle parked at a chapel in Edmonds, WA. Data indicates that such swastika incidents are targeting Jewish people and a wide range of other minoritized peoples and communities, often going so far as to make explicit, violent threats when delivered with accompanying text. Simultaneously, swastikas are surfacing in relation to Trump, sometimes to show support, other times to critique his widely-acknowledged appeals to white nationalism.
Considering such diverse functions, the Swastika Counter Project was started to help track the circulation of swastikas, expose its physical manifestations on the streets of the United States, and counter its oft-disturbing role in our contemporary socio-political climate.
Simplified Summary
This page explains what motivated the Swastika Counter Project and includes a graphic slide show that provides visual evidence of swastikas circulating in the United States between 2016 and 2021. A warning is given about the disturbing nature of the slideshow. In response to high frequency of alarming incidents depicted in the slide show, the Swastika Counter Project was started to help track the circulation of swastikas, expose its physical manifestations on the streets of America, and counter its oft-disturbing role in our contemporary climate.