HATE SYMBOLS AND TERMS
There is a long list of symbols, phrases and memes used by white nationalists. The following symbols and terms, catalogued by Hatepedia and the Anti-Defamation League, are those common used by groups in Ontario and across the White Lives Matters network on Telegram:
Celtic cross
A longtime symbol of white nationalists dating back to the 1930s, infamously used by Stormfront, a white nationalist website founded in the mid-1990s. It also reflects the overlap between white nationalist and extremist versions of Christianity.
However, while often used by white nationalists, experts say it is also used by other groups and its usage is not exclusively hateful.
Fasce
An image of a bundle of sticks wrapped around an axe, the fasce was an ancient Roman symbol later used as an icon of an Italian fascist group created by Benito Mussolini before his rise to power. It is commonly paired with an eagle in white nationalist propaganda.
13/AC
The No. 13 is frequently used in group names and white nationalist iconography. It often refers to the first and third letter of the English alphabet. The letters AC can mean “active club,” or “anti-Communist” as well as “Aryan Circle,” a violent American neo-Nazi prison gang venerated in white nationalist networks.
Active club
A mainstay of modern white nationalist groups, active clubs are real-word groups of neo-Nazis. Alongside white nationalist ideology, they focus on fitness and combat sport training, and promise a community for those who join. The pull of belonging can be particularly attractive to disaffected people, particularly young men, experts say.
Often, logos for active clubs contain symbols to indicate their antiCommunist, anti-drugs, pro-fitness and pro-combat sport focus.
George Lincoln Rockwell
A photo of Rockwell, the slain leader of the American Nazi Party in the 1960s, often appears on white nationalist posters, including those posted by Hamilton’s Nationalist-13. Although killed by another neo-Nazi in 1967, he continues to be venerated as a cult figure in white nationalist circles.
Totenkopf death’s head
A skull similar to the Jolly Roger, the totenkopf was an icon of the Nazi SS in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. On Telegram, the icon is often added to photos to conceal the faces of white nationalists.
White Lives Matters/White Pride/White Unity
Adopted as a mocking counterpoint to the Black rights movement, Black Lives Matter, White Lives Matter has become the name of the Telegram network that acts as a hub for neo-Nazis on social media. It is often paired by slogans that say “White Pride” or “White Unity” to express a canard that white people are under assault.