A Complete Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang and Symbols

The swastika isn't the only neo-Nazi signifier—here's your complete guide to white supremacist iconography.

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Image via Getty/Mark Ralston

neo nazi rally

With the rise of the so-called “alt-right”—a term coined by white supremacist Richard Spencer to make his movement appear more palatable—overt references to horrifying bigotry have entered the mainstream. From Spencer's rally in which he and his followers gave the Nazi salute and shouted “Hail victory!” (the English translation of Nazi German slogan, “Seig heil!”) to Ann Coulter's "14!" tweet (which she claims was part of her countdown to Obama's last day in office) or Bill O’Reilly’s open praise for the Electoral College’s function of keeping power in the hands of the “white establishment,” white supremacy is no longer confined to fringe websites, radical terrorist organizations, or politicians’ subtextual appeals to certain voting blocks. The dogwhistles have turned into screams.

While everyone is familiar with the swastika's significance to white supremacists and their organization, not every sign is as obvious. Not every neo-Nazi is a skinhead (and not every skinhead is a neo-Nazi). And as evidenced by various fascist-normalizing profiles on the "alt right," the majority of white supremacists look like normal people and can blend easily into crowds. 

illinois nazis

Fortunately, there are oft-used symbols and slogans that can help you identify white supremacists if and when you encounter them. These are only the most common; more in-depth lists, including symbols of specific organizations as well as more loosely/indirectly related organizations and movements, can be found at the Anti-Defamation League and these blogs. Here's our dictionary of common white supremacist symbols:

Celtic Cross

celtic cross

Iron Cross

iron cross

One of the most common ways white supremacists signal their affiliation to one another is through the use of coded numbers, abbreviations, and acronyms. These can be seen in tattoos, usernames, garments, logos, and so on. Here are some of the most prominent examples:

14

Fourteen is a reference to a slogan by white supremacist leader David Lane. It consists of the 14 words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."

88

Eighty-eight is code for “Heil Hitler,” as "h" is the eighth letter of the alphabet. This is often used in combination with "14" (e.g. 1488, 14-88, or 14/88). It can also refer to the 88 Precepts, which, combined with the Fourteen Words, are the basis for Wotanism (W.O.T.A.N.-ism, or Will of the Aryan Nation-ism), Lane’s white supremacist neo-Pagan religion. This particular code number is a less conclusive sign when it comes to things like online usernames, as it can also indicate that the user was born in 1988.

BH or 28

These can stand for “Blood and Honor” (in the numeric version, "b" is the second letter of the alphabet, and "h" is the eighth). This is a common neo-Nazi slogan and has been the name of several organizations.

ORION

This can stand for “Our Race Is Our Nation.”

RAHOWA

This acronym stands for “Racial Holy War.” Many white supremacists believe there will be a divinely ordained war between white people and other races of the world.

ROA

Stands for “Race Over All.”

WP/WS/WN

These acronyms can stand for “white pride” or “white power,” “white supremacy,” and “white nationalism,” respectively. “WP” is a less certain sign of any sort of affiliation, as it is also used on stickers and merchandise for the band Widespread Panic.

WPWW

Stands for “White Pride World Wide,” the slogan for white supremacist website Stormfront, as well as a common expression among the movement at large.

SS Symbol and SA/Brownshirts Symbol

ss symbol tattoo

White supremacists, especially online, use certain mantras either as dogwhistles to like-minded people or as attempts to recruit intellectually vulnerable white people who hear/read them. Examples include:

ZOG

ZOG, the Zionist Occupation Government, is a less-subtle form of dogwhistle, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish people secrely control the world. Also related to this is the “echo,” wherein a Jewish person (or person suspected to be Jewish or “in cahoots” with the so-called "Zionist" conspiracy) is marked in online posts by white supremacists using three sets of parentheses around their name (e.g. “(((Firstname Lastname))”).

 “Anti-racist is code for anti-white.”

This mantra on its own is meant to condition white people to see anti-racism views as negative, but the phrase was coined by white supremacist Bob Whitaker and is frequently used as part of Stormfront’s SWARMfront project. The initiative includes Stormfront operatives (called BUGs) using various tactics like concern trolling to recruit new members across news media comment sections and social media platforms.

Triskelion

triskelion

“Asia for the Asians, Africa for the Africans, White countries for everyone!”

Another Whitaker-coined phrase commonly used by BUGs, this is used in comments, posts, and memes arguing (falsely) that countries predominately populated by people of color are allowed and encouraged to exclude white people and maintain a uniform ethnic identity, whereas white countries are not. This is obviously ahistorical and absurd, but it is one of their most common and effective tactics.

“White genocide,” or, “Diversity is code for white genocide.”

An original SWARMfront invention, this mantra is used as part of an argument made by white supremacists that miscegenation is a plot to eliminate the white race.

Ultimately, there is no sure way to spot a white supremacist. Many have no tattoos and work to keep their views hidden until they feel they can benefit from revealing them. But many are surprisingly brazen and can be spotted with ease if you know what you’re looking for.

White supremacists' goal is to convert people to their cause; They see themselves as the right side in a holy war, and they want to grow their army so they can win. If you want to avoid helping them do so, keep your eyes open. They can’t win if we all see them coming.

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