Col. Tomi Bohm, a new air force commander in the Finnish Carliament region, announced that the Finnish air force is planning to remove the controversial symbol of the swastika from the flags of their units.
The swastika symbol disappears from Finnish banners. “We experience some pressure”
– We experience some external pressure, and there were also awkward and troublesome situations during visits to foreign guests, e.g. in cooperation with Americans – he admitted in an interview with YLE Military Radio.
In 2017, the headquarters of the Air Force ceased the use of swastika as an emblem and in pilots and staff badges, and the process, as emphasized, took place “somewhat quietly” and was at the same time described as “harmonization of symbols”.
However, the swastika is still present on the banners and flags of regional air force units. These, e.g. the Lapland squadron, were recently publicly presented in June during the annual parade of Finnish armed forces.
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Swastika as a symbol of Finnish independence
Although the swastika is usually associated with the German Nazi Reich Adolf Hitler, as the emblem of Finnish aviation began to be used in 1918, referring to freedom and independence, which Finland obtained at the end of 1917. The swastika was on the Finnish aircraft during World War II. The swastika was attached to the flags, banners and emblems of Finnish aviation in the 1950s.
Some historians believe that for Finns Swastika is an old symbol, but it can sometimes be an obstacle to integration with Western countries. The schedule for changing the flags of the Finnish Air Force units and the final date for removing the swastika is not yet known.
