Hijacked Symbols in History

[TheSutekh]

As everyone knows the swastika is mostly associated with the Nazis in the "Western" world.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

What I'm curious about is if you guys know any other similar symbols that have been hijacked. Anyone know of any other ones?

[Wulfburk]

An eagle. Everyone a little bit imperialistic uses it.

[TheSutekh]

An eagle. Everyone a little bit imperialistic uses it.

What was it a symbol of?

[money]

I don't know, some Tribal Spirit or something. I'm pretty sure it was considered the herald of the Sun or of the Sky in multiple cultures.

[cupoftea]

The heraldic cross --> the balkenkreuz maybe? (:

[Drtad]

The pentagram was an astrological/mathematical symbol to the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Greeks. Cornelius Agrippa and others posited it as some sort of magic symbol, and it has grown to become some sort of evil sign to some people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagr...pean_occultism

[TheSutekh]

The pentagram was an astrological/mathematical symbol to the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Greeks. Cornelius Agrippa and others posited it as some sort of magic symbol, and it has grown to become some sort of evil sign to some people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagr...pean_occultism

That's an other good example.

[Condottiere 40K]

Hijack or adoption?

The English during the Hundred Years war incorporated the Fleur de lis in the royal coat of arms as a public demonstration to their claim to the French throne. They also adopted St. George's Cross as their national symbol.

[TheSutekh]

Hijacked as in it's meaning is twisted.

[neoptolemos]

It is not exactly a "symbol" but it has been hijacked nevertheless...

[Logios]

As everyone knows the swastika is mostly associated with the Nazis in the "Western" world.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

What I'm curious about is if you guys know any other similar symbols that have been hijacked. Anyone know of any other ones?

I agree with you that the nazi use of the swastika is historical grand theft, but there are still lots of people unappreciative to this (hopefully not many in TWC). I reall think you should include some examples the historic cultural use of the swastika symbol in the OP. Here is a bit from the Baalbek temple complex in Lebanon:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

But other examples, hmm, I wonder if you could say that the Three Crowns symbol of Sweden was hijacked by the Danish king Christian III leading to the Northern Seven Years War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Crowns
This was however claim of land by adoption of a symbol in contemporary use, so a different scenario perhaps.