Syringe Swastika

The syringe swastika (sometimes referred to as a “vaccine swastika”) is a symbol used by some anti-vaccine activists to express opposition to vaccine mandates, likening such policies to the oppressive and genocidal policies of Nazi Germany. The symbol, which depicts a swastika shaped out of medical syringes, gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The syringe swastika is one of several Nazi/Holocaust analogies used by anti-vaccine activists to decry vaccine mandates and other public health measures. The symbol may be hurtful or considered offensive to Jews, many of whom lost family members or carry memories of the trauma suffered by their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents during the Holocaust.