Federal Agency Rules Wearing ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ Flag Can Be Racial Harassment

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed with a complainant who claimed that his coworker wearing the Gadsden flag (more popularly known as the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag) was a form of racial harassment.

The complainant, who is black, objected to his coworker wearing a cap with the flag, a patriotic and anti-tyranny icon dating back to the Revolutionary War. The man stated that he “found the cap to be racially offensive to African Americans because the flag was designed by Christopher Gadsden, a ‘slave trader & owner of slaves.’” He also argues the flag is a “historical indicator of white resentment against blacks stemming largely from the Tea Party.”

The EEOC agreed. “Whatever the historic origins and meaning of the symbol, it also has since been sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts,” they argue. “For example, in June 2014, assailants with connections to white supremacist groups draped the bodies of two murdered police officers with the Gadsden flag during their Las Vegas, Nevada shooting spree.”

[h/t Washington Post]

[Image via screengrab]
——
>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!