Research & Analysis

Like Pepe the Frog, “Trollface” is a widely-used internet cartoon meme that has been appropriated and used by some white supremacists. Care must be taken not to make assumptions of the intent behind its use but to judge it only in context.

St. Michael’s Cross is a white supremacist symbol that originated in Romania in the years before World War II as the symbol of the fascist Iron Guard movement.

“Moon Man” is a meme derived from a character in 1980s McDonald’s restaurant commercials that was appropriated by white supremacists, especially from the alt right, who attach it to racist songs, language and imagery.

The League of the South is a longstanding neo-Confederate white supremacist group that advocates for an independent, white-dominated South. Its symbol is intended to resemble the St. Andrew’s Cross on the Confederate flag.

The Jera rune is an ancient European runic symbol and part of the runic alphabet. It is one of a number of runic symbols that white supremacists have appropriated but is also commonly used by non-racist modern Norse pagans, so care needs to be taken in its evaluation.

The Identitarian lambda is a symbol used by people who identify with Identitarianism, a racist and anti-immigrant European far right movement loosely analogous to the alt right in the United States.

The Happy Merchant is a very common antisemitic meme popularized by the alt right, featuring a person with exaggerated stereotypically Jewish features and grasping hands, meant to convey a “greedy Jew.”

Fasces are an ancient Roman symbol for authority and government coopted by Mussolini’s Fascist movement in Italy. Some white supremacists in the United States have recently adopted the symbol both because of its fascist connections and because it is more publicly acceptable than the swastika.

The “Bowlcut” is an image of a bowl-shaped haircut resembling the one sported by white supremacist mass killer Dylan Roof. People who use the “bowlcut” image or other “bowl” references admire Roof and call for others to emulate his racist murders.

“Anti-Antifa” images are white supremacist symbols and memes directed against antifa activists. Antifa (short for “anti-fascist”) are left-wing and anarchist activists who focus on directly confronting white supremacists.

14 is numerical shorthand for the white supremacist slogan known as the "14 Words": "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

14 Words is a reference to the popular white supremacist slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

1488: 14 words and the 8th letter of the alphabet. Combined this creates a powerful symbol for white supremacists. Find out the true meaning of these numbers.

88 is a white supremacist numerical code for Heil Hitler. Read more about the meaning behind the numbers, as well as how it’s used in non-extremist forms.

Racist skinheads view anti-racist skinheads (typically known as SHARPs, an acronym for Skin Heads Against Racial Prejudice) as enemies and frequently attack them (and vice versa). Racist skinheads also commonly create anti-SHARP imagery that typically demeans SHARPs or implies violence should be used against them. Additional Images:

The Arrow Cross symbol derives from the Hungarian fascist political party known as the Arrow Cross Party that was active during 1935-45. Since then, various neo-Nazis and white supremacists have used the symbol themselves, either generically or as part of the logo of a specific hate group.

The Aryan Fist symbol is a white supremacist symbol adopted from the "black power fist" used by black nationalist groups in the 1960s and 1970s.

ALTERNATE NAMES: Ku Klux Klan, MIOAKGroup Status: Active (in that there are many active Ku Klux Klan groups) For the past century, the primary symbol related to Ku Klux Klan groups (other than Klan robes themselves) is what Klan members may call the MIOAK (an acronym for "Mystic Insignia of a Klansman"). It is more commonly referred to as the "Blood Drop" Cross. It appears as a square white cross in black outline against a circular red background. In the middle of the cross is what appears…

Group Status: Legacy (the group is no longer active but some symbols may remain as tattoos, graffiti, etc.) The term "blue-eyed devil" is a racial epithet originating in Asia directed against people of European ancestry. Some white supremacists have adopted the term in recent decades and may refer to themselves as blue-eyed devils. In 1995, a white power music band emerged in Delaware that called itself the Blue Eyed Devils. The band created a distinctive logo consisting of a rounded…

Racist skinheads prefer wearing steel-toed workboots, typically with red or white shoelaces laced a certain way.