Latest news with #Valknot
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Homeland Security hits back at claims ICE agent at Martha's Vineyard has ‘white supremacist' tattoo
The Department of Homeland Security has hit back at claims that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent has a 'white supremacist' tattoo after footage circulated online during an arrest operation in Martha's Vineyard. An ICE officer was spotted on the Massachusetts island last week with what appeared to be a Valknot tattoo, a Nordic symbol of the god Odin. Charlie Giordano confronted the ICE agents and posted the footage on Instagram, the Martha's Vineyard Times first reported. 'When reviewing the images I made of 'ICE Agents' on Martha's Vineyard yesterday, I noticed several had the 'Valknot' tattooed on their arms,' Giordano posted on Instagram. 'It's a symbol often used by white supremacy groups.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin characterized the claim as a 'smear' in a post on X Tuesday and said the officer was 'a combat veteran.' 'His tattoo is a tribute to fallen warriors —a pretty common tattoo in the military among combat veterans who embrace the Nordic Viking warrior culture,' McLaughlin said. 'Attempting to smear this ICE officer and pretend his tattoo is meant to be a tribute to White Supremacy is false, pathetic, and insulting to veterans.' The symbol has been appropriated by white supremacists, the Anti-Defamation League says on its website. 'Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have appropriated the Valknot to use as a racist symbol.' However, the organization also noted that 'non-racist pagans may also use this symbol,' so it should be 'carefully examine[d] it in context rather than assume that a particular use of the symbol is racist.' Jacob Chansley, dubbed the 'QAnon Shaman' for his role in 'spearheading' the January 6 Capitol riot, has the symbol tattooed on his chest. ICE acknowledged the symbol had been 'co-opted by racist organizations,' according to the Martha's Vineyard Times, but a spokesperson said that the agent is 'absolutely not connected with white supremacism in any way.' According to the outlet, an ICE spokesperson said that the officer had the tattoo before joining the agency, and that he was a combat veteran. Last week agents arrested 40 people on the popular vacation island, which has a large Brazilian population. The incident surrounding the agent's tattoo follows previous concern over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'Christian motto' tattoo, which some perceived as a white nationalist dog whistle. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, has the words 'Deus Vult' tattooed on his bicep, which has been associated with white supremacist groups. 'Deus Vult' is a Latin phrase meaning 'God Wills It,' and was a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages. Vice President JD Vance said the uproar over the tattoo was 'disgusting anti-Christian bigotry' at the time.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Homeland Security hits back at claims ICE agent at Martha's Vineyard has ‘white supremacist' tattoo
The Department of Homeland Security has hit back at claims that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent has a 'white supremacist' tattoo after footage circulated online during an arrest operation in Martha's Vineyard. An ICE officer was spotted on the Massachusetts island last week with what appeared to be a Valknot tattoo, a Nordic symbol of the god Odin. Charlie Giordano confronted the ICE agents and posted the footage on Instagram, the Martha's Vineyard Times first reported. 'When reviewing the images I made of 'ICE Agents' on Martha's Vineyard yesterday, I noticed several had the 'Valknot' tattooed on their arms,' Giordano posted on Instagram. 'It's a symbol often used by white supremacy groups.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin characterized the claim as a 'smear' in a post on X Tuesday and said the officer was 'a combat veteran.' 'His tattoo is a tribute to fallen warriors —a pretty common tattoo in the military among combat veterans who embrace the Nordic Viking warrior culture,' McLaughlin said. 'Attempting to smear this ICE officer and pretend his tattoo is meant to be a tribute to White Supremacy is false, pathetic, and insulting to veterans.' The symbol has been appropriated by white supremacists, the Anti-Defamation League says on its website. 'Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have appropriated the Valknot to use as a racist symbol.' However, the organization also noted that 'non-racist pagans may also use this symbol,' so it should be 'carefully examine[d] it in context rather than assume that a particular use of the symbol is racist.' Jacob Chansley, dubbed the ' QAnon Shaman ' for his role in 'spearheading' the January 6 Capitol riot, has the symbol tattooed on his chest. ICE acknowledged the symbol had been 'co-opted by racist organizations,' according to the Martha's Vineyard Times, but a spokesperson said that the agent is 'absolutely not connected with white supremacism in any way.' According to the outlet, an ICE spokesperson said that the officer had the tattoo before joining the agency, and that he was a combat veteran. Last week agents arrested 40 people on the popular vacation island, which has a large Brazilian population. The incident surrounding the agent's tattoo follows previous concern over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'Christian motto' tattoo, which some perceived as a white nationalist dog whistle. Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, has the words 'Deus Vult' tattooed on his bicep, which has been associated with white supremacist groups. 'Deus Vult' is a Latin phrase meaning 'God Wills It,' and was a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages. Vice President JD Vance said the uproar over the tattoo was 'disgusting anti-Christian bigotry' at the time.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
On the Vineyard, a federal immigration sting, a tattoo, and questions about white supremacy
'Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have appropriated the Valknot to use as a racist symbol,' the Advertisement Odinism is 'a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru,' the ADL wrote. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. News of the officer's tattoo was The symbol, which also has an the alternative spelling Valknut, was tattooed on the face of a self-described 'white-power skinhead,' who killed a Utah corrections officer, according to an article cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The center said among racist pagans the Valknot signifies Advertisement Experts said the Valknot is not as easily recognized as other better known hate symbols. 'It is often associated with Odin and the willingness to die a violent death for a cause, usually Nazism/white supremacy,' Thomas Birkett, a professor at University College Cork, Ireland, who studies Norse mythology and runes. 'It's on the same continuum of swastika, black sun, othala rune, etc.' The symbol, he said, is also used by neo-pagans, often without racist connotations, so it is 'very hard to prove that it means what it probably does mean, unless accompanied by other more overtly racist symbols.' 'The problem is that neo-Nazi groups are very good at occupying this grey area which allows them deniability if challenged by an employer etc.,' he said. 'The federal agent concerned could easily claim that it is just a cool symbol, or worn because they have Scandinavian heritage, etc.' Sophie Bjork-James, a Vanderbilt University professor, agreed the symbol's meaning can be manipulated. 'Such symbols are often chosen over more recognizable racist images such as the swastika as the individual can both signal their identity to others while also denying a link to a white supremacist movement when convenient,' she said. 'This means that unlike a swastika, one needs more evidence to understand if someone with a valknut tattoo is indeed a white nationalist.' Many far-right groups have embraced Norse symbols and mythology 'because they critique Christianity as a religion influenced by Judaism,' according to Bjork-James Advertisement 'Anti-Jewish prejudice is central to white nationalism so Norse symbols can also be used as a symbol of their prejudice against Jews,' she said. Immigration raids last week on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket saw about 40 people taken into custody on the resort islands that rely on immigrant labor. Photos of the unidentified federal agent with the tattoo have circulated on the island. Photos and videos taken by a resident near the Menemsha Coast Guard Station show a man wearing a tactical vest identifying him as a 'police federal agent.' The man appears to wear a neck gaiter, which obscures the lower parts of his face, as well as sunglasses and a cap. Both of his arms appear to be heavily tattooed. Near the Valknot is a tattoo of the coiled snake of Charlie Giordona, a 58-year-old Vineyard resident, was among those to confront and film the agents during the ICE sting. 'It's all about context, man,' said Giordona over the phone on Monday. 'I would ridicule ICE for profiling brown people in their roundups. By the same token, I shouldn't profile someone for their tattoos. But again, it's all about context.' He continued, 'I don't think those guys are fans of Odin and Norse mythology. I think those guys are white supremacists.' Massachusetts has a lengthy history of white supremacy and far-right politics. At least 530 state residents signed up for the Oath Keepers, Advertisement In 2022, two days before the Fourth of July, about 100 white supremacists, Danny McDonald can be reached at
