Emblems of the Red Cross

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The symbols of the Movement - The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems at the museum in Geneva. The Red Crystal emblem has just recently joined them.

The Red Cross emblem was officially approved in Geneva in 1864, a year after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded. The emblem, endorsed by the 16 signatories of the Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian law, is based on the Swiss flag with colours reversed.

The Red Crescent emblem was first used by ICRC volunteers during the armed conflict between Russia and Turkey (1876–1878). The symbol was officially adopted in 1929, and so far 25 Islamic states have recognised it.

Israel has called for the use of the Red Star of David emblem since 1949, but until the early 21st century the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement did not officially recognise the Israeli first-aid society, Magen David Adom. Instead, the Red Crystal was adopted on December 8, 2005. Israel and Eritrea will be the first nations to use the new non-denominational symbol.

On 22 June 2006 the ICRC announced the recognition of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the Israeli National Society and Magen David Adom (MDA), and also announced the formal adoption in the ICRC statutes of the Red Crystal as a third official symbol.^[1]

1 History of the emblems
- 1.1 Emblems in use
- 1.2 Disused or unrecognized emblems
  - 1.2.1 The Red Lion and Sun
  - 1.2.2 The Red Star of David (Magen David Adom)
2 Use of the emblems
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History of the emblems

[edit] Emblems in use

[edit] The Red Cross

The Red Cross is an emblem which, under the Geneva Conventions, is to be placed on humanitarian and medical vehicles and buildings to protect them from military attack on the battlefield. The Red Cross flag is not to be confused with the St George cross which is the flag of England, Barcelona, Freiburg and several other places. The red cross of the St George cross extends to the edge of the flag, whereas the red cross on the Red Cross flag does not. The Red Cross was originally intended to be a reverse image of the flag of Switzerland, a historically neutral nation.

[edit] The Red Crescent

Originally, only the Red Cross (being the flag of Switzerland with its colors reversed) was to be used as an emblem of the Geneva Conventions, but because it reminded them of the Crusaders, most of the Muslim nations (primarily the Ottoman Empire, later Turkey) objected to this, and as a result an additional emblem (the Red Crescent) was to be provided for. Persia (now Iran) also managed to have a red lion and sun (the lion and sun being the emblem of Persia) added to the list of available emblems (see below).

[edit] The Red Crystal

On December 8, 2005, partly in response to growing pressure to alleviate the inclusion of an Israeli society as a full member of the Red Cross movement, a new emblem (informally called the Red Crystal) was adopted by amendment of the Geneva Conventions. The new emblem was designed to be easily recognizable and, to make it more universally acceptable throughout different cultures, devoid of religious connotation (contrasting the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which are often associated with Christianity and Islam, respectively). No country or National Society will be obliged to change their emblems, none will be obliged to use the new one, but all will be required to respect it in the same manner. Eritrea has said it is planning to use the new symbol, because it has a mixture of Christians and Muslims in the country.

22 June 2006 the ICRC announced:

The 29th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent has amended the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to incorporate the additional emblem of the red crystal, which now has the same status as the red cross and red crescent. In addition the participants to the International Conference requested that the ICRC and the International Federation recognize and admit the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PCRS) into the Movement.^[1]

On 14 January 2007, the symbol is recognized under the Geneva Conventions as the third official emblem. ^[2]

[edit] Disused or unrecognized emblems

[edit] The Red Lion and Sun

The Red Lion and Sun Society was established by a decree of Ahmad Shah Qajar of Iran in 1923. However, the symbol was first introduced in 1864^{[citation needed]} to a convention held in Geneva as a counter example to the crescent and cross used by two of Iran's rivals, the Ottoman and the Russian empires. In 1980, because of the association of the emblem with the Shah, the newly proclaimed Islamic Republic of Iran switched to the Red Crescent. Though the Red Lion and Sun has now fallen into disuse, Iran has in the past reserved the right to take it up again at any time, and therefore the emblem is still on the books as a recognized symbol of mercy.

[edit] The Red Star of David (Magen David Adom)

For over 50 years, Israel has requested the addition of a Red Star of David, arguing that since Christian and Muslim emblems were recognized, the corresponding Jewish emblem should be as well. This emblem is the one currently used by Magen David Adom, the national society of Israel, but it is still not recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC denies that the Red Cross is a Christian emblem.

The Red Cross movement had repeatedly rejected this Israeli request, reasoning that if Jews (or another group) were to be given another emblem, there would be no end to the number of religious or other groups claiming an emblem for themselves. That would detract from the original intention of the Red Cross emblem, which was to be a single emblem to mark vehicles and buildings protected on humanitarian grounds. Also the fact that Muslim nations were opposed to Israel made consensus impossible on this issue.

On 22 June 2006 the ICRC recognized the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), as well as Magen David Adom (MDA), and they were admitted into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,^[1] but the Red Star of David was still not recognized, so the MDA would combine it with the newly recognized Red Crystal symbol in international operations.

[edit] Use of the emblems

Belgian Red Cross volunteers

As specified by the Geneva Conventions, the red cross emblem is to be used only to denote the following:

facilities for the care of injured and sick armed forces members
armed forces medical personnel and equipment;
military chaplains;
Red Cross groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross; the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, formerly "the League of Red Cross Societies"; and the 182 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

In order to ensure universal respect for the emblem, the Geneva Conventions obliged their signatories to forbid any other use of the name and emblem in wartime and peacetime. Nevertheless, the emblem is often used as a general symbol to indicate first aid, medical supplies, and the like. In 2006, the Canadian Red Cross issued a press release asking video game makers to stop using the red cross in their games.^[3]

In order to avoid this conflict, a green cross is often used as a generic alternative.