A new bill in Virginia (VA HB 2783) has entered into law that amends the state’s penal code to criminalize the use of the Nazi emblem, properly known as the hakenkreuz (“hooked cross”), while also acknowledging the sacredness of the swastika within the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, and Native American communities and protects the rights of these communities to display the swastika for religious purposes.
Following suggested amendments by Governor Youngkin, which further differentiated the hakenkreuz from the swastika, the bill passed unanimously in the House and the Senate and was adopted by the Governor on April 2.
HAF’s Managing Director, Samir Kalra, Esq. stated:
“While more work still needs to be done to disentangle the hurtful history between the swastika and the Nazi Hakenkreuz, we are grateful to Virginia legislators and Governor Youngkin for listening to their Hindu constituents and taking the steps to protect both the Hindu and Jewish communities through these amendments. There’s no greater satisfaction as an advocate than to see language you’ve helped to craft make it into a bill.”
HAF began working in early January with Delegate Chris Obenshain (D-41) who led early efforts to revise the code, and continued to work with Virginia legislators and Virginia’s Hindu American community as variations of the bill moved through the legislature.
Important amendments were made through collaboration between the local Jewish and Hindu communities, and in the legislature, including lead sponsor Delegate Marcus Simon (D-13), State Senator Kannan Srinivasan (D-32), and a number of Hindu community groups and leaders. All stakeholders recognized the importance of a unified response against the state’s spike in antisemitism, particularly following the events of October 7th, while also preserving the religious freedom of other faiths to use symbols signifying peace.
HAF intends to work with the Virginia State Legislature in the next legislative cycle to continue to make improvements to penal code language about the swastika and hakenkreuz.
