CoHNA Unhappy with CA Bill on Swastika

India-West Staff Reporter

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – While others were happy, the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) has expressed its “strong disappointment” around California Assembly’s decision to pass Bill AB2282, titled ‘Hate crimes: nooses, crosses, and swastikas.’

“In spite of claims that the bill has decriminalized Swastika, the amended language continues to use the word ‘Nazi Swastika’,” remarked CoHNA president Nikunj Trivedi. “By passing this bill in its current form and failing to accommodate the concerns of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in the language, the Assembly has essentially supported the false idea that there is a ‘good Swastika’ and a ‘bad Swastika.’”

“Our opposition to the bill stems from the fact that while the amended bill does insert the word “Hakenkreuz” (hooked cross) once, it continues to refer to Hitler’s hate symbol and the Nazi party emblem as “Nazi Swastika” in the rest of the bill. Even the bill’s title refers to the hate symbol simply as “Swastika.” Thus, the newer version does not remove the hateful association with the Swastika and perpetuates confusion by using the words “Nazi Swastika” and associating it with hate and genocide,” a press release said.

CoHNA has called upon the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain communities to reach out to their lawmakers and urge them to take the necessary steps to ensure that the bill is amended with appropriate references to the Nazi symbol of hate (“Hakenkreuz” or “hooked cross”) versus the sacred Swastika.

The organization and its allies will continue to work with legislators and oppose the bill in its current form until the language is amended while standing in solidarity with the Jewish, African American and other communities targeted by hate and bigotry using the Nazi symbol, the release added.

For additional information: https://cohna.org/swastika.