All the symbols depicted in the hate symbols database must be evaluated in the context in which they appear. Few symbols represent just one idea or are used exclusively by one group. For example, 100% is often used as an amount or an expression and it is also used by some white supremacists as shorthand for "100% white." Similarly, other symbols in this database may be significant to people who are not extreme or racist. The descriptions here point out significant multiple meanings but may not be able to relay every possible meaning of a particular symbol.

Hate on Display / Aryan Circle

ALTERNATE NAMES: AC, The Diamond

Group Status: Active

The Aryan Circle is the second-largest white supremacist prison gang in Texas and one of the largest such gangs in the United States. Its most common tattoo, known as a "shield" or "patch," consists of a square oriented to form a diamond shape. Inside the diamond is typically a swastika and the initials AC; it is also common to include SS lightning bolts. Because of this symbol, Aryan Circle members often refer to their gang as "The Diamond" and may use phrases such as "let that Diamond shine!" Because of the age of the group (it dates back to the 1980s) and its size, there are many variations of this patch. In the early years of the Aryan Circle, members used a smaller, simpler tattoo, consisting of SS lightning bolts inside a circle; sometimes one can still find this symbol used. Aryan Circle members also use many coded references to themselves, typically involving the number 13 (substituting letters for numbers, this stands for AC), such as referring to themselveas as "113%," which stands for "100% Aryan Circle," or using the numbers 36 or 136 (for "Circle Forever" or "Aryan Circle Forever"). Members may also use the number 360, which is a circle reference ( as a circle has 360 degrees).