Coast Guard member taken off hurricane duty over alleged white power gesture
Man in background on TV interview seen making ‘okay’ symbol attributed to racist groups
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A US Coast Guard member assigned to hurricane duty has been removed after being caught on television making a gesture which some viewers alleged was a white power symbol.
“We are aware of the offensive video on Twitter — the Coast Guard has identified the member and removed him from the response,” the US Coast Guard said on its official Twitter account.
“His actions do not reflect those of the United States Coast Guard,” one of the federal agencies responding to Hurricane Florence which has since weakened to a tropical storm and killed at least six people in the southeastern United States.
The incident occurred during an interview on MSNBC with a Coast Guard member discussing Florence.
US Coast Guard on hand gesture seen used by a support staff member (bottom left) during an interview on @MSNBC this afternoon:
"The Coast Guard has identified the member and removed him from the response. His actions do not reflect those of the United States Coast Guard." pic.twitter.com/jjwZmCFFBI
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 15, 2018
In the background sat another member, with short hair, who turned toward the camera and moved his right hand alongside his head. His thumb and index finger approached each other while the other fingers were upright.
Twitter users including Jann Gobble, a computer programmer, interpreted it as a racist message.
“Did you all see this guy flash White Power on TV?” Gobble wrote, calling for an investigation.
Racial tensions have intensified in the United States since President Donald Trump assumed office early last year.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the gesture isn’t actually a white power symbol, but has become a popular gesture used by people across several segments of the right and far right—including some actual white supremacists—who generally use it to trigger reactions, or what they would describe as ‘trolling the libs.'”
An aide for US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was recently accused online of flashing the sign during a congressional hearing, but her husband rebuffed the allegations and said she was of Mexican and Jewish heritage.
TOI staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.