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 / NSM Legacy Logos

Group Status: Current

The National Socialist Movement (NSM) is a longstanding neo-Nazi group in the United States. In the early 2000s, the NSM adopted a logo that combined elements of the American flag with a swastika and the group’s initials. This logo, with slight variations, was used by the NSM until late 2016, when the group adopted a new logo that was similar to the older one but replaced the swastika with an Othala rune.

The NSM claimed they replaced the original NSM logo featuring the swastika with the new Othala logo to have a greater chance of getting mainstream support; the group called it a “slight re-branding.” NSM leaders believed that would-be supporters “have steered clear of us due to our use of the swastika.” NSM quickly produced new flags and patches to replace the old ones.

However, the Othala logo did not last very long. In late 2018, after white supremacist Matthew Heimbach joined the group, NSM debuted yet another, completely different logo, featuring a red fasces surrounded by a red gearwheel. Heimbach claimed that the Othala rune had no connection to American neo-Nazis but the fasces (an ancient Roman symbol) did have American connections, as it was used in American art and architecture since the nation’s founding.

The NSM fasces logo was not popular among NSM members. Nor, as it turns out, was Heimbach, who soon left the group. In March 2019, the NSM announced that it was returning to the swastika logo that it had used from roughly 2003-2016.

The Othala and fasces logos are no longer actively promoted by the group but, as with many legacy logos, may still be found on clothing or gear belonging to NSM members or associates.