What is the ‘thin blue line flag’ that has been embraced by right wing supporters in the United States?

According to the Marshall Project, this was after 2014 when a flag representing the thin blue line idea appeared; A black and white version of the American national flag, a blue stripe, runs horizontally under the stars.

Such as racial controversy as a whole United StatesClashes between anti-apartheid activists and supporters of President Donald Trump continue in many parts of the country.

At these confrontations, one symbol that is increasingly being displayed by right-wing groups is the “thin blue line” flag – the controversial presentation of the Star-Spangled banner – which has sparked heated debate over the years.

The banner, which was meant to support law enforcement efforts, was displayed by Trump supporters during a recent clash in Kenosha where two people were seriously shot and one was injured. And in Portland where one person died.

What is a thin blue line?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term “is used to refer to the police, especially in the context of maintaining order during a riot.”

The word itself is over a hundred years old, believed to have been taken from the Thin Red Line, a military formation formed by the British in 1854 during the Crimean War. During the war, the highlands of Scotland, which formed the “thin red line”, received praise from imperialist Russia for standing up against the horse-riding scandal.

Promoted by the media and popularized by art and forms such as songs and poems, the term eventually applied to other professions, such as firefighters.

In the twentieth century, it was adopted by U.S. police departments – many of whom wore blue uniforms – as they used the “thin blue line” as a phrase in praise of law enforcement efforts.

Controversial flag

According to the Marshall Project, this was after 2014 when a flag representing the thin blue line idea appeared; A black and white version of the American national flag, a blue stripe, runs horizontally under the stars.

The flag, which aims to show support for law and order and police personnel, was soon embraced by many serving and retired officers across the country; Many display it on their patrol vehicles, uniforms and facial expressions during them. Covid-19 Ubiquitous epidemic.

However, the flag sparked controversy when it was backed by right-wing groups, most notably the Billy Live Lives Matter movement, which emerged in 2014 as an opponent of the anti-racism Black Lives Metro movement.

In 2017, the Thin Bali Line flag was hoisted during Charlottesville The incident was again described as the largest gathering of white nationalists in a decade, in which one was killed and at least 20 were injured after a car crashed into a crowd of protesters. The rally featured Confederate flags and Nazi emblems, including the Franz Elements banner.

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The adoption of the flag by freeze groups, however, did not sit well with supporters of the Thin Blue Blue Line. Thin Bly Line Line USA, one of the largest retailers of pro-police merchants in the country, condemned the display of the flag at the Charlottesville Rally and issued a statement saying: Reject with hatred. , And bigotry. To use it in this way spoils the fact that it and our nation believe in it. ”

In 2019, a law enforcement agency in the state of Oregon paid ਕਾਲ 100,000 to a black employee who allegedly harassed his colleagues at the office after asking them to display the Thin Bull Line flags. Was.

This year, the flag debate has become even more difficult as protests against racism and police brutality have shaken the United States since the death of George Floyd. Those who believe the flag is polarizing have called on law enforcement agents to stop using it, while others have said it is a symbol of respect for police sacrifices.

This serious feud is expected to continue in the coming months, especially as President Trump, who advises his Democratic opponent Joey Biden to run for president in November, aggressively pursues a “rule of law” with other Republicans. The plan has been moved forward. Get voters out of the Democratic camp.

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