L’dor V’dor, From Generation to Generation
Be on the lookout for cloaked identifiers. The numbers and images represented here are hate symbols commonly used by white supremacist groups, hate movement ideologies, and individuals. Below are their meanings.
100% is shorthand among white supremacists for "100% white”. Variations are abundant. Some white supremacists will refer to themselves as "101% white," for example. Occasionally the percentage "123%" appears, which also means "100% white," as the 23 refers to W, the 23rd letter of the alphabet. Additionally, caution must be used in evaluating instances of this symbol's use, as most uses of this symbol are not, in fact, white supremacist in nature.
109 and 110 The number 109 is white supremacist numeric shorthand for an antisemitic claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 different countries. Various antisemites have compiled lists of alleged Jewish “expulsions” ranging from 100 to more than 1,000 in number, but the figure of 109 is the most commonly cited and probably originates with a list of “109 locations” appearing on a longstanding Australian antisemitic website.
Antisemites use this purported figure to claim that Jews must be a malicious and harmful people to have been expelled from so many places; they also use the figure to call for the expulsion of Jews from countries where they currently live.
The concept of 109 expulsions has also led to frequent use of the number 110 by white supremacists, generally to urge that the United States be the next and 110th place to expel Jews.
The number 12 is a numeric symbol for Aryan Brotherhood-named racist prison gangs (as are the numbers 1 and 2 separately), especially the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. Substituting letters for numbers, 12 equals AB, i.e., Aryan Brotherhood. Sometimes the number 12 is written in Roman numerals, as I and II or as XII.
14/88 or Alternatively, 8814
1488 is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols. The first symbol is 14, which is shorthand for the "14 Words" slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The second is 88, which stands for "Heil Hitler" (H being the 8th letter of the alphabet). Together, the numbers form a general endorsement of white supremacy and its beliefs. As such, they are ubiquitous within the white supremacist movement - as graffiti, in graphics and tattoos, even in screen names and e-mail addresses, such as aryanprincess1488@hate.net. Some white supremacists will even price racist merchandise, such as t-shirts or compact discs, for $14.88
88 is a white supremacist numerical code for "Heil Hitler." H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 = HH = Heil Hitler. One of the most common white supremacist symbols, 88 is used throughout the entire white supremacist movement, not just neo-Nazis. One can find it as a tattoo or graphic symbol; as part of the name of a group, publication or website; or as part of a screenname or e-mail address. It is even sometimes used as a greeting or sign-off (particularly in messages on social networking websites).
It should be noted that 88 can be found in non-extremist contexts. The number is used by ham radio operators to mean "hugs" or "hugs and kisses." Also, a number of NASCAR drivers, including several very well-known ones, have used the number 88, resulting in various automobile stickers and other forms of merchandise sporting that number.
The number 14 is used by white supremacists as a shorthand reference to the so-called "14 Words," which is the most popular white supremacist slogan in the world: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The slogan was coined by David Lane, a member of the white supremacist terrorist group known as The Order.
Because of its symbolic significance, white supremacist groups use the number widely, either by itself or in conjunction with other numeric symbols, especially 88 (which stands for "Heil Hitler"). Thus white supremacists may incorporate the number 14 into the names of groups or publications, into screen names or e-mail addresses.
311
The eleventh letter of the alphabet is the letter "K"; thus 3 times 11 equals "KKK," or Ku Klux Klan. The number 311 is sometimes used as a greeting to demonstrate membership in the KKK or simply sympathy with the Klan and its ideology.
23
White supremacists, primarily on the West Coast, may use a two-handed hand sign consisting of one hand showing or flashing two fingers and the other hand showing or flashing three fingers. Together, they signify the number 23, a numeric symbol for W ("White"). This itself is often shorthand for the numeric symbol 23/16, which stands for "White Power."
The number 737 is a numeric symbol used by Public Enemy Number 1 (PENI), a California-based white supremacist gang present on California's streets and in its prisons. Unlike most white supremacist numeric symbols, 737 is not an example of number-letter substitution. Instead, the numbers 737 correspond to the letters P, D, and S on a telephone keypad. The initials PDS stand for Peni Death Squad
9% is a numeric white supremacist symbol that refers to the percentage of the world's population that is purportedly white. When rendered graphically, the 9% figure often appears within a diamond of some sort. The design is probably borrowed from the 1% symbol used by outlaw biker gangs.
Odin’s Cross, Sun Cross, Wheel Cross
The white supremacist version of the Celtic Cross, which consists of a square cross interlocking with or surrounded by a circle, is one of the most important and commonly used white supremacist symbols. Although usually called a Celtic Cross by white supremacists, its origins date to the pre-Christian "sun cross" or "wheel cross" in ancient Europe. After World War II, a variety of white supremacist groups and movements adopted the symbol. Today, this version of the Celtic Cross is used by neo-Nazis, racist skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members and virtually every other type of white supremacist. It has also achieved notoriety as part of the logo of Stormfront, the oldest and largest white supremacist website in the world.
Parentheses, Parenthesis, Echo
Multiple parentheses—or the "echo," as it is sometimes referred to—is a typographical practice used by some antisemites online. It typically consists of three pairs of parentheses or brackets used around someone's name or around a term or phrase.
When used around someone's name—such as (((Robin L Bernstein)))—it is intended by the user to indicate to others "in the know" that the person being referred to is Jewish.
When used around a term or phrase—such as (((banker)))—the intent is generally that the word "Jewish" be placed in front of the term or phrase, or simply that the term or phrase is actually synonymous with Jews.
The publicity generated by news coverage of the symbol resulted in a much larger counter-use of the echo, as thousands of anti-hate activists and others began changing their Twitter screen names to echo themselves in an "I am Spartacus" fashion. Others used inverted parentheses—such as )))Jane Doe(((—for the same purpose.
Following this, some antisemites began using inverted parentheses themselves, on their own screen names, to indicate that they were not Jewish or were anti-Jewish. This use of the inverted parentheses has become more common.
The Iron Cross is a famous German military medal dating back to the 19th century. During the 1930s, the Nazi regime in Germany superimposed a swastika on the traditional medal, turning it into a Nazi symbol. After World War II, the medal was discontinued but neo-Nazis and other white supremacists subsequently adopted it as a hate symbol and it has been a commonly-used hate symbol ever since.
In the United States, however, the Iron Cross also became one of several Nazi-era symbols adopted by outlaw bikers, more to signify rebellion or to shock than for any white supremacist ideology. By the early 2000s, this other use of the Iron Cross had spread from bikers to skateboarders and many extreme sports enthusiasts and became part of the logo of several different companies producing equipment and clothing for this audience. Consequently, the use of the Iron Cross in a non-racist context has greatly proliferated in the United States, to the point that an Iron Cross in isolation (i.e., without a superimposed swastika or without other accompanying hate symbols) cannot be determined to be a hate symbol. Care must therefore be used to correctly interpret this symbol in whatever context in which it may be found.
Cracker Bolts, SS Lightning Bolts, Lightning Bolts
The SS Bolts are a common white supremacist/neo-Nazi symbol derived from Schutzstaffel (SS) of Nazi Germany. The SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, maintained the police state of Nazi Germany. Its members ranged from agents of the Gestapo to soldiers of the Waffen (armed) SS to guards at concentration and death camps.
The SS symbol is derived from the "sowilo" or "sun" rune, a character in the pre-Roman runic alphabet associated with the "s" sound.
Following World War II, the SS bolts symbol was adopted by white supremacists and neo-Nazis worldwide. The SS bolts are typically used as a symbol of white supremacy but there is one context in which this is not necessarily always so. Decades ago, some outlaw biker gangs appropriated several Nazi-related symbols, including the SS bolts, essentially as shock symbols or symbols of rebellion or non-conformity. Thus SS bolts in the context of the outlaw biker subculture does not necessarily denote actual adherence to white supremacy. However, because there are a number of racists and full-blown white supremacists within the outlaw biker subculture, sometimes it actually is used as a symbol of white supremacy.
Blood & Honour (the British spelling is typically used, even in the United States) is an international racist skinhead umbrella group started decades ago by British white supremacist and singer Ian Stuart Donaldson. It has chapters or associated groups around the world, primarily in Europe. Several American white supremacist groups proclaim an association with Blood & Honour, as do many individual white supremacists. Because of the latter, use of the Blood & Honour logo does not necessarily connote membership in a particular group.
Blood & Honour is also a neo-Nazi music promotion network and right wing extremist political group founded in the United Kingdom by Ian Stuart Donaldson and Nicky Crane and in 1987. It is composed of white nationalists and has links to Combat 18.
These explanations and more information can be found here: https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbols/search
