During the Gaza war (2023–present), an inverted red triangle has been used as a symbol by Hamas and by pro-Palestinian protesters. Protestors' usage of the symbol originates from combat footage published by Hamas during the war that uses inverted red triangles as arrows to indicate Israeli military targets, such as tanks, shortly before they are attacked or destroyed. [1] [2] [3] This in turn derives from the red triangle that appears on the Palestinian flag. [4]
The red triangle has been connected to the flag of Palestine, which features a similar symbol. [5] [6] [7] The red triangle that appears in the flag represents the Hashemite dynasty's role in the Arab Revolt and the blood of those killed in the struggle for Arab and Palestinian liberation. Red is one of the four pan-Arab colors, along with black, white, and green. [5] Some media speculated that the symbol originates from Nazi concentration camp badges. [7] [8] However, the Nazis used the inverted red triangle to identify prisoners with political views opposed to Nazism, not necessarily Jewish prisoners. [4]
Protestors' usage of the symbol originates from combat footage published by Hamas during the Gaza war that uses inverted red triangles as arrows to indicate Israeli military targets, such as tanks, shortly before they are attacked or destroyed. [9] [10] [3] In the early months of the Gaza war, some social media users connected the shape with other symbols of Palestinian resistance, such as a headscarf or slingshot. [6]
Since then, the red triangle has appeared in signs and graffiti made by Palestinian supporters in Germany, [7] Canada, [4] the United States, [4] Australia [11] and elsewhere. It has sometimes been painted on private homes or businesses targeted by protesters, such as the apartment building of Columbia University's Chief Operating Officer, [12] or a popular Jewish-owned bakery in Sydney. [11]
The red triangle emoji (🔻) has been widely used by Palestinian supporters on social media. [13] In October 2024, it was reported that Meta had decided to begin removing posts that used the symbol in the context of the Israel–Palestine conflict. [13]
In July 2024, the Senate of Berlin voted to ban the symbol following an urgent motion filed by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party. [14] Niklas Schrader, a member of Die Linke , cautioned that banning the symbol could unintentionally lead to the outlawing of other organizations. The Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime displays the triangle on their flag accompanied by prisoner stripes, a design that has also been seen at pro-Israel demonstrations. [7]
The Palestine Chronicle has described the red triangle as a symbol of resistance and the need for action on a global scale. [15] The website of the Anti-Defamation League states that the symbol is often associated with antisemitism, but not necessarily so. [16] Or Shaked of the Jewish Virtual Library has taken a critical perspective of the symbol, writing that it glorifies violence. [17]