Research & Analysis

The number combination 14/23 is a numeric symbol associated with the Southern Brotherhood, the largest white supremacist prison gang in Alabama. The 14 is a reference to the white supremacist "14 Words" slogan ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"), while the 23 refers to the "23 precepts," a list of rules that Southern Brotherhood members must follow, such as "do not make a debt you cannot pay" and "no huffing lacquer." Additional Images:

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.

ALTERNATE NAMES: Combat 18, C1818 is a white supremacist alphanumeric code for Adolf Hitler (1=A and 8=H). It is most commonly associated with the British white supremacist group Combat 18 or C18. Occasionally, Combat 18 cells appear in the United States, but they tend to be small and short-lived. Additional Images:

Members of the Unforgiven, a Florida-based racist prison gang, use the numeric symbol 21-2-12 as a sort of slogan. Substituting letters for numbers, 21 stands for U ("Unity"), 2 stands for B ("Brotherhood") and 12 stands for L ("Loyalty"). Additional Images:

ALTERNATE NAMES: Aryan Alliance, Brotherhood of Aryan AllianceGroup Status: Active The 211 Crew is a large racist prison gang based in Colorado. Its main tattoo (or "shield" or "patch") is a complex triangular symbol made out of interlocking arms, with hands grasping lightning bolts and the number 211 in the center.  According to law enforcement, the name of the gang originated from the California penal code for robbery.  However, members claim that 211 is a numeric code for BAA,…

White supremacists, primarily on the West Coast, may use a two-handed hand sign consisting of one hand showing or flashing two fingers and the other hand showing or flashing three fingers. Together, they signify the number 23, a numeric symbol for W ("White"). This itself is often shorthand for the numeric symbol 23/16, which stands for "White Power." Additional Images:

The number combination 23/16 is a numeric symbol used by white supremacists, particularly common on the West Coast. Substituting letters for numbers, the 23/16 equates to W/P or "White Power." Occasionally the number 23 appears by itself, as a condensed version. Sometimes the combination is rendered as 16/23, in which case it is usually intended to mean P/W for "peckerwood." Additional Images:

28 is the white supremacist alphanumeric code for Blood & Honour (2=B and 8=H), an international racist skinhead group that began in Great Britain in the 1980s.  Additional Images:

ALTERNATE NAMES: 8318The number 318 is a white supremacist numeric symbol. The 3 in the symbol is a numeric substitution for the letter C, thus making the symbol C18 or C-18. This in itself is code for a British white supremacist group, Combat 18, that occasionally has a presence in the United States. The 18 in its name is another numeric substitution symbol standing for Adolf Hitler. In the United States, 318 is most commonly associated with the Aryan Terror Brigade, a racist skinhead group…

The number 33 is used by Ku Klux Klan adherents to signify the Ku Klux Klan. Since the 11th letter of the alphabet is K, three Ks signify "KKK" or the Ku Klux Klan. When using this reference, Klan members will frequently add the number 6 at the end, as in 33/6, because they think the Klan is currently in its sixth historical "era." Less commonly, some holdouts may still use the numeric code 33/5. Additional Images:

ALTERNATE NAMES: Crossed HammersThe number 38 is used as a numeric symbol by members of the Hammerskins, a racist skinhead group. Substituting letters for numbers, 38 stands for CH or "Crossed Hammers," a reference to the crossed hammers of the group's logo. The most common use of this numeric symbol is with Crew 38, a Hammerskin "support" group consisting of female associates of the group as well as males interested in becoming members. A variation on the symbol is 838, which stands for "Hail…

The number 43 is a numeric symbol used by members of the racist skinhead group Supreme White Alliance (SWA). If one substitutes numbers for the letters in SWA's initials (19, 23, 1), then adds those numbers together, the total is 43. Additional Images:

The 5 Words refer to a phrase that some white supremacists advocate should be the only words ever spoken to the police: "I have nothing to say."

The number 511 is a numeric symbol for the Oregon-based racist prison gang European Kindred. Substituting letters for numbers, the 5 and 11 equate to E and K, i.e., European Kindred. Additional Images:

The number 737 is a numeric symbol used by Public Enemy Number 1 (PENI), a California-based white supremacist gang present on California's streets and in its prisons. Unlike most white supremacist numeric symbols, 737 is not an example of number-letter substitution. Instead, the numbers 737 correspond to the letters P, D, and S on a telephone keypad. The initials PDS stand for Peni Death Squad, another name for the group. Additional Images:

83 is a white supremacist numeric symbol that stands for "Heil Christ" or "Hail Christ" (the eighth letter of the alphabet is H and the third letter is C, thus 83 is "HC"). It is typically used by adherents of the racist and anti-Semitic religious sect known as Christian Identity. The symbol derives from the older white supremacist numeric symbol 88 ("Heil Hitler"). As they do with 88, white supremacists sometimes pair 83 with the number 14 (a reference to the so-called "Fourteen Words" slogan…

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.

One of the most popular white supremacist symbols is the numeric symbol 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (substituting letters for numbers, 88 means HH, i.e., "Heil Hitler"). It is thus not surprising that white supremacists occasionally attempt to display 88 as a hand sign. It is not a very common white supremacist hand sign, probably because it involves some dexterity and effort. Additional Images:

9% is a numeric white supremacist symbol that refers to the percentage of the world's population that is purportedly white.

ACAB stands for "All Cops Are Bastards" and is a slogan of long standing in the skinhead subculture. Because non-racist skinheads may use this acronym as well as racist skinheads, it should be carefully judged in the context in which it appears.