Finland‘s Air Force, which is now part of NATO, is getting ready to retire swastikas from the few unit flags where they still appear. This is to avoid uncomfortable moments with Finland’s Western allies.
The swastika, now mostly linked to Nazi Germany and hate groups, it’s actually a really old symbol. Finland started using it long before the Nazis existed.
They’ve been taking steps to change this for years. For example, a swastika logo was quietly removed from the Air Force Command’s unit emblem recently. But they still appear on some flags, which makes NATO allies and visitors a bit uncomfortable during military events.
“We could have continued with this flag, but sometimes awkward situations can arise with foreign visitors. It may be wise to live with the times,” remarked Tomi Böhm, head of the Karelia Air Wing air defense force, when he spoke to a state-run broadcaster.
Bad Look for a New NATO Member
On Friday, the Finnish Defence Forces explained that the plan to update air force unit flags started in 2023, the same year Finland joined NATO, but they insisted it wasn’t directly because of joining the alliance.
The real reason, according to an article in Helsingin Sanomat, is that the swastika is seen as an “embarrassing symbol in international contexts.” They want to “update the symbolism and emblems of the flags to better reflect the current identity of the Air Force.”
For years, the Finnish public and Air Force maintained that their swastikas were “nothing to do with the Nazi swastika,” said Teivo Teivanen, a world politics professor at the University of Helsinki. He recently published a book whose Finnish title translates to “History of the Swastika.”
Now that Finland is more integrated with NATO, the decision has been made to avoid the swastika as Finland aligns more with countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and France, where it’s a negative symbol.
In 1918, Finland’s Air Force adopted the swastika right after the nation became independent from over a century under Imperial Russia.
The symbol, a blue swastika on a white background, was on Finnish planes until 1945. Still, you could find it on some flags and decorations for years, such as at the Air Force Academy.
Despite Finland’s uneasy alliance with Nazi Germany in World War II, the Finnish Air Force stresses that their use of the symbol had nothing to do with the Nazis.
So, in your view, should Finland keep the swastika, an ancient traditional symbol, or should they respect the sensitivities of their NATO allies who suffered heavily to uproot the scourge of of Nazism? Share your thoughts in the comments below!Rate, Like 👍, Comment💬, share this article, Follow us on our social media handles, and Submit your own story to get featured and earn rewards!
