Arrow Cross Explained

A cross whose arms end in arrowheads is called a "cross barby" or "cross barbée" in the traditional terminology of heraldry. In Christian use, the ends of this cross resemble the barbs of fish hooks, or fish spears.

In modern use, the symbol has become associated with extremist organisations after the Arrow Cross (Nyilaskereszt) symbol was used in Hungary in the 1930s and 1940s as the symbol of a far-right Hungarist fascist political party, the Arrow Cross Party, led by Ferenc Szálasi, and of this party's thuggish paramilitary organization.^{[1] [2] [3]} The symbol consists of two green double-ended arrows in a cross configuration on a white circular background. The arrow cross symbol remains outlawed in Hungary.^[4]

A similar symbol, the Crosstar, is used by the Nationalist Movement, a white supremacist group based in the United States.

A similar symbol to arrow cross, modified version of Portuguese cross, is used by the former Brazilian monarchist movement Brazilian Patrianovist Imperial Action from 1932 to 1937.

Arrow cross previously used by the Falange Venezolana (Venezuelan Phalanx), a far-right group based in Venezuela.^{[5] [6]}

See also

• Greek cross
• Arrow (symbol)
• The Six Arrows
• Three Arrows
• Symbol of Chaos

Notes and References

1. http://hist.academic.claremontmckenna.edu/jpetropoulos/arrow/arrowsymb.html Arrow Cross Symbols
2. Book: Patai, Raphael. The Jews of Hungary:History, Culture, Psychology. Wayne State University Press. 590. 1996. 730. 0-8143-2561-0.
3. Historical Dictionary of the Holocaust, Jack R. Fischel, Scarecrow Press, 17 Jul 2010, pg106
4. Web site: Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code, Section 335: Use of Symbols of Totalitarianism. 97. Ministry of Interior of Hungary. 21 February 2017. Any person who: a) distributes, b) uses before the public at large, or c) publicly exhibits, the swastika, the insignia of the SS, the arrow cross, the sickle and hammer, the five-pointed red star or any symbol depicting the above so as to breach public peace – specifically in a way to offend the dignity of victims of totalitarian regimes and their right to sanctity – is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by custodial arrest, insofar as they did not result in a more serious criminal offense..
5. Web site: Venezuela - Political Flags - Part 2. fotw.info. 6 June 2024.
6. Web site: Flags of Extremism - Part 1 (a-m). loeser.us. 14 November 2020.