Finland’s air force will remove swastikas from the flags of its brigade-level units, according to Col. Tomi Bohm, the commander of the Karelia Air Wing.
Bohm first told Finnish paper YLE of the change on Thursday. Swastikas have already been removed from the flags of the Air Force Command.
According to the commander, the decision to remove the symbol comes as a result of embarrassing situations and external pressure, for example, from the US. The swastika was viewed as a symbol of spirituality in many Eurasian religions and cultures before being co-opted by Nazi Germany in the 20th century. The word “swastika,” Sanskrit for “conductive to well-being,” is used to symbolize divinity in Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
The emblem was first used by the Finnish Air Force in 1918, when it was added to aircraft (until 1945). The swastika was then added to flags in the 1950s. Outside the air force, it still appears on the presidential flag, various decorations, and municipal coats of arms.
Teivo Teivainen, a professor of world politics at the University of Helsinki, told Helsingin Sanomat that the symbol is hampering Finland’s integration with Western countries.
Teivainen provided an example in 2021, when German military pilots took part in an international military exercise in Rovaniemi, Finland, but were unable to participate in the ceremonies because of the Finnish Air Force’s use of the swastika. Displaying the symbol is illegal in Germany unless for specific educational, artistic, or religious purposes that do not promote Nazism.
At the time, Finland’s then-defense minister Antti Kaikkonen said, “The emblem in question is different from the swastika emblem used by the Nazis. Nevertheless, the unfortunate reality is probably that many people may confuse the signs.”
The flag will be updated to reflect modern associations with the symbol
Teivainen, however, disputed this, saying the swastika is very similar to the one used by the Nazis.
Lt.-Col. (ret.) Kai Mecklin, director of the Finnish Air Force Museum, disagreed with Teivainen, telling Iltalehti, “It has been an old symbol that was introduced before anything was known about the Nazis. And it is precisely a symbol of freedom and independence for us. Its value comes from the environment in which it is used.”
The Finnish Defense Forces told the Associated Press that a plan to change the air force unit flags was launched in 2023, the year Finland joined NATO, but that the decision was unrelated to joining the alliance.
Instead, the decision is about a desire “to update the symbolism and emblems of the flags to better reflect the current identity of the Air Force.”