The peace symbol has an evolving history.. It first was its first used in the United Kingdom by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1956 at a march in Aldermaston. The flag consisted of a semaphore with "N" for nuclear and "D" for disarmament.. The symbol was adopted ten years later as a general symbol of peace and the anti-war movement. It is the single best known symbol of 1960's youth culture.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament originated out of the Europe's traditional churches. As a result, the symbols are based on two references to the Bible:
- The outer circle, designating EARTH (often referred to as waste and void, as told in Genesis 1:2)
- The inner design, the witch's/crow's feet designate God reaching down with the gift of salvation. John 3:16)
The appropriation of the symbol by the peace movement in the sixties, was not fully understood by non-traditional and fundamentalist Christians. Instead of embracing a movement their sister churches started, they came up with a satanic meaning for the flag: calling it the Witch's Foot, or Crow's Foot or Broken Cross. Some even said the flag was a symbol of Christ's arms dropped in despair. In the 1980s, the symbol was embraced by the environmental movement in North America. In America, as a statement of the American desire for Peace, the symbol is often incorporated into the Canton of the US flag replacing the 50 stars with a unified desire for peace.
Flag Measures 36 in x 60 in and is 100% polyester with grommets for easy flying.
