OK so flag thread... amongst the usual suspects of US flags, Gadsden (Don't Tread On Me) flags, TRUMP flags there were Thin Blue Line flags OK not surprising, but hang on what's that green tree on a white background flag...? Well... #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolRiots #CapitolHill

That is the Washington Cruisers flag, or the Appeal to Heaven flag used by the nascent US Navy during the Revolutionary War. Is the person flying it trying to say this is a revolution. #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolRiots #CapitolHill

OK what's next... well as @LalehKhalili observed, we have non-Islamic Republic, Iranian flags (there are many iterations) denoting resistance/moarchist affiliation...

Now then... is this the flag of Taiwan/the Republic of China? What could this be suggesting? Taiwanese nationalism? Resistance to communism? #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolHill #CapitolRiots

Staying with the possible anti-communist/freedom theme... Yes it's a Tibetan flag. I'm kind of confused but it also seems to be part of some other trends with these flags. #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolHill #CapitolRiots

As I said emerging trends, this yellow one with red stripes is doing many things. This is the flag of South Vietnam. Oh boy. So we we have anti-communism and suport for US imperialism in one tidy package! #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolHill #CapitolRiots

I've still got lots to do folks... Georgia (the country), Templar, Israel, Australia, Canada and if I can find it, the 13 Colonies flag I spotted earlier. I'm going for lunch, will be back later.

OK so where was I... flags, lots of flags at yesterday's #CapitolHillRiots. I'm not going to share explicitly Nazi/fascist imagery here, that's a personal decision. There are lots of resources online about these, for the US context see the SPLC: https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/groups

I also need to apologise for not putting ALT descriptions on some of the images so far in this thread. I will do so from now on. But back to the flags... #CapitolHill #CapitolInsurrection #CapitolHillRiots

Variations on a theme... Templar crosses, and the country of Georgia, is this suggesting a Christian crusade? Is it anti-Islam? Did the person bringing the country of Georgia flag like all the crosses or were they looking for the State of Georgia flag...? #CapitolBuilding

So next up... Australia. Yep Australia. What is this person saying? They're Australian? They like violent white settler colonies? They like Australia's history of racist, white supremacist immigration policies ? It's Pauline Hanson? I have NO idea. #Capitol #CapitolRiots

We're not done with the white settler colonies with histories of racist immigration policies — and no I'm not talking about all the US flags (although if the cap fits) — I'm talking about Canada! With thanks to @HistoryNed for this one. Some Canadians love Trump. #CapitolRiots

The British really have a lot to answer for eh? Anyway sticking with the Commonwealth, here's India, that for want of drawing the ire of the Hindutva BJP fascists, has a (growing) problem with exclusionary, violent Hindu nationalism under Narendra Modi. #CapitolRiots #Capitol

I mean... where to start with this? Is this a Christian Zionist (these folks are antisemitic btw) who wishes to hasten the rapture? Are they trying to say Jews for Trump (the use of an Israeli flag in this context is also antisemitic). Are they Israeli? Whatever it's not good.

A Polish flag next. This is interesting, aside from the current state of Polish politics which shows the US does not have a monopoly on far-right reactionary consolidation, this has the coat of arms with the eagle wearing a crown, this was not allowed under communism. #Capitol

Still haven't found the pre revolutionary Thirteen Colonies flag, but here's a Betsy Ross flag which represents the 13 colonies following the US revolutionary war of independence. What is this saying? They like revolution, they want to return to these times...? #CapitolRiots

And of course there were Confederate flags. That goes without saying. The white supremacist racist pro-slavery flag of choice for so many. #CapitolBuilding #CapitolRiots

If people have spotted others, please add them to this thread.

We have a weird one (OK many of them are weird, but this one has me baffled)... Palau #CapitolBuilding #CapitolRiots https://twitter.com/daveobrienesq/status/1347217380016062467?s=20

The Palauan ambassador to the US is not amused: "I hope I will never see our flag displayed in such an embarassing way again." Well quite. https://twitter.com/daveobrienesq/status/1347217597889191941?s=20

Thanks @piombo for allerting me to this... the pine tree flag is apparently linked to the Northwest Territorial Imperative, a 1970s-80s US white separatist idea popularised by white nationalists, supremacists, separatists and neo-Nazi groups within the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territorial_Imperative

So that's nice, its connotations are worse than I originally thought. It isn't just a nostalgic appeal to the US Revolutionary War, it's full-blown fascist. Are we surprised? We are not. #CapitolRiots #CapitolFlags #Flags

I am also informed by the ever up on these things @piombo that the Pine Tree flag has links to the eco-fascist 'Pine Tree Party'. This piece draws connections between the eco-fascist threat and other recent far-right fascist nasties. https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/eco-fascist-pine-tree-party-growing-as-a-violent-extremism-threat/

For an explanation of a People's Republic of China/US flag hybrid spotted at the #CapitolRiots see @dikaioslin for more... https://twitter.com/dikaioslin/status/1347245700875120640?s=20

Hmmm possible Palau flag explanation here... Palau was one of 3 countries along with the US and Ukraine to vote against a UN resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism. So do these nazis see Palau as a fellow traveller? #CapitolFlags #CapitolHill https://twitter.com/piombo/status/1347253578096914445?s=20

Via @JohnhoganMorris we have a Christian Flag. I didn't know this was a thing, but accoridng to Wikipedia it was designed in the early 20th century to represent all of Christianity and Christendom and it appears to be mostly used in the US. #CapitolFlags #CapitolRiots

I need to aplogise, I forgot the ALT description in the last tweet... So I'm reposting the image again.

So... this flag, looks like the Betsy Ross, but has 3 in Roman numerals inside the star circle, that after some research appears to belong to the Three Percenters an anti-government, libertarian militia advocating gun rights. There appears to be writing on these...? #CapitolFlags

Perhaps, you ask, the writing is the Second Amendment given these folks are fun nuts? Well good intuition... because lo and behold they like to add the Second Amendment apparently. #CapitolFlags #CapitolRiots