FLYING THEIR FLAGS
Far-right symbols on display during Capitol insurrection
WASHINGTON » A day that began with President Donald Trump telling his most loyal followers to continue to fight against the results of an election he lost spun out of control on Jan. 6 when a violent mob broke down the doors to the U.S. Capitol and went on a rampage inside. In the crowd, both inside and outside the building, were a range of far-right groups, including selfdescribed militias, white nationalists, and sundry conspiracists and agitators. They battered down doors and other barriers, broke windows with flag poles, raised banners on scaffolding assembled for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and charged police lines, attacking officers as they surged forward. Some wore tactical vests and helmets adorned with far-right symbols and slogans.
Here’s a snapshot of what was on display during the insurrection and what the symbols mean:
Proud Boys
Symbol details: Orange hats and shirts during the Capitol assault; logo is a rooster standing on an arrow surrounded by stars.
The Proud Boys, a farright group with a history of violence and a reputation for instigating roving street fights with counter-demonstrators, announced in the days before the short-lived insurrection
that members would forgo their traditional black-and-gold garb in favor of all-black attire and bright orange hats. Some members still donned the Proud Boys logo on patches, clothing and helmets.
The Proud Boys were founded in 2016 by Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who has since distanced himself from the group. It rose to na
tional prominence this year when Trump told members to “stand back and stand by” during a presidential debate - a message that many in the Proud Boys took as marching orders.
Gadsden Flag
Symbol details: The yellow flag features a coiled rattlesnake on a patch of grass over the traditional phrase, “Dont Tread on Me,” which in modern versions contains an apostrophe.
Various flags featuring rattlesnakes were used during the American Revolution, but this design is credited to Gen. Christopher Gadsden, a slave-owning Continental Army officer from South Carolina, who used it as a motto flag for his troops. Various rattlesnake flags flew over ships in the infant U.S. Navy. In recent years it has been used by the tea party movement and members of the militia movement as a symbol for limited government and support of gun rights.
‘OK’
Symbol details: Hand gesture forming the shape of ‘OK’
The hand gesture commonly used to communicate “OK” was co-opted in 2017 by members of the farright and white supremacists who recast the symbol to mean “white power” — indicated by the W and P formed by the thumb and fingers. The use of the hand gesture has since become a common occurrence at farright rallies and among some Trump supporters who use it to taunt opponents.
‘1776’
Symbol details: The logo features the year 1776 surrounded by stars in a circle; Frequently seen paired with the traditional Betsy Ross American flag.
References to the year 1776 and the American Revolution have grown substantially among the far-right as Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists have hinted at the possibility of a revolution in the wake of Trump’s election loss, which they falsely view, as illegitimate. Trump allies and surrogates, including firstterm Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., referred to Jan. 6 as Republicans’ “1776 moment.”
Three Percenters
Symbol details: The roman numeral III, surrounded by a circle with stars
The Three Percenters, often connoted by the Roman numeral for three, is an anti-government paramilitary group that formed in 2008 around the idea that a small number of “patriots” protect Americans from the tyranny of big government. The name itself is a reference to the debunked claim that only 3% of the population fought against the British in the American Revolution; historians say the percentage was actually much higher. The organization is considered by extremism experts to be a “traditional” self-described militia group that espouses right-wing, libertarian ideals, but has in recent years become an ardent supporter of Trump and has mobilized in opposition to more restrictive gun regulation, coronavirus-related shutdowns and racial justice protests.
QAnon
Symbol details: The letter ‘Q’
QAnon is a sprawling online conspiracy theory whose adherents believe Trump is leading a crusade against a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who encompass a majority of the nation’s elites, including politicians, celebrities and executives. The loosely organized group exists largely online and follows cryptic messages and instructions from an anonymous person known only as Q. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has said the QAnon belief that elites are abducting children to harvest their blood for a chemical used to extend people’s lives is a variation of an anti-Semitic trope that has existed for centuries. Its online campaigns under the hashtag #SaveOurChildren have also been used as an anti-LGBTQ dog whistle. In 2020, QAnon believers began to coalesce around antimask and anti-vaccine coronavirus conspiracy theories.
Ashli Babbitt, the 35-yearold veteran who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer during the insurrection, was a believer in QAnon.
Oath Keepers
Symbol details: Logo features yellow words spelling ‘Oath Keepers,’ inspired by the U.S. Army Ranger uniform patch.
The Oath Keepers is one of the largest self-described militia groups in the United States. Founded in 2009, the anti-government group is focused on recruiting law enforcement and active or former military members - those the group’s leaders believe will follow its notion of what it means to take an oath to protect the Constitution against “all enemies both foreign and domestic.”
The Oath Keepers has had a presence at many high-profile incidents over the past decade, including the 2014 standoff at the Bundy ranch in Nevada and the Ferguson, Mo., protests.
Confederate Flag
Symbol details: A red flag with a blue St. Andrews cross and 13 stars denoting the states that supported secession from the United States and the continuation of slavery.
The battle flag was first flown by confederate troops and during the Civil War. Certain groups now claim it represents “Southern heritage,” but according to the Anti-Defamation League, the symbol is commonly used by white supremacists both inside and outside of the United States. Mississippi recently changed its state flag to remove this symbol.
Pepe the Frog
Symbol details: A cartoon smirking green frog
Pepe, a humanoid cartoon frog created by artist Matt Furie, is an internet meme appropriated by the far-right community online. While many depictions of the meme are innocent, it is commonly depicted alongside extremist imagery, such as a Pepe clad in the uniform of the WaffenSS, the military wing of Hitler’s security force, and it has become associated with far-right internet culture despite Furie’s denunciations of such usage. Protestors in Hong Kong also used the image in protests over mainland China’s antiDemocratic policies.
Kekistan Flag
Symbol details: A green and black flag featuring a symbol spelling the words ‘Kek’ vertically and horizontally.
The term “kek” originated in the gaming world as a spoof for the text phrase “LOL” or “laugh out loud.” It has been absorbed into farright culture, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Coincidentally, users on the 4chan website discovered that an ancient Egyptian deity called “Kek” could appear as a man with a frog head, something they saw as a parallel with the use of Pepe the Frog as a symbol. Users created a flag for the fictional country of Kekistan, where political correctness is supposedly decried. The design mimics the Nazi battle flag.
Valknot
Symbol details: Three triangles interlinked
The Valknot tattoo and garb seen on Jacob Anthony Chansley, known as the “Q Shaman,” are nods to Nordic culture and heritage. The Norse symbol has been associated with Odinism, a strain of white supremacist thought that claims to hark back to pre-Christian belief systems, but is also used by non-racist Pagans, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
VDare
Symbol details: An image of a lion with red, white and blue stripes
The red, white and blue lion image seen on a flag on Jan. 6 is associated with the xenophobic, ethnonationalist website VDARE, which gets its name from Virginia Dare, supposedly the first White child born in the New World, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
VDARE is known to host far-right writers and intellectuals. The organizer of the 2017 “Unite the Right Rally” in Charlottesville was a contributor to VDARE. In 2019, the Trump campaign came under fire after using an almost identical lion graphic in a promotional video.