New South Wales Police are investigating an officer who was seen wearing a badge while on duty over Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The seemingly innocuous badge features the Australian flag in black and white, save for a thin, blue line going horizontally across the middle.
The badge use to promotes a pro-police message, however has been highjacked in recent years to push out an anti-Black Lives Matter point and has been used by people on the far-right as well as white supremacists.
Advert
A person in Sydney's CBD noticed the badge on the officer on Saturday (March 6) and snapped several pictures before uploading them to social media.
The original poster condemned NSW Police for allowing the badge to be worn and asked for an explanation.
A NSW Police spokesperson has told Business Insider: "The NSW Police Force is aware of reports of an officer wearing a patch which is not part of the standard NSWPF uniform.
Advert
"Officers from Quakers Hill Police Area Command are making inquiries into the matter."
The Thin Blue Line used to represent the concept of police acting as 'the line' that keeps society from descending into violent chaos.
It's been around for years, however started to be used by the Blue Lives Matter movement, which was the counter movement to people complaining police officers needed to change the way they treat people of colour.
As early as 2015, police around the world have been warned not to wear the symbol in case it is seen as a political statement that could be misconstrued.
Advert
The Thin Blue Line was very visible amongst protestors at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, which saw people on the far-right gather to protest against the movement to tear down Confederate statues in the US.
Last year, an alleged internal email leaked on social media that showed how Victoria Police employees wouldn't be allowed to don the Thin Blue Line.
The alleged email from Victorian Police Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh said: "Despite what individual members may regard the meaning of the flag to be, the flag is aligned with white supremacists and extreme right wing movements, counter black lives matters movements [sic] and the condoning/cover up of police misconduct.
Advert
"Therefore: No member is permitted to display the badge in any form on police uniform, equipment, vehicles or police premises. The badge is counter to our / your organisational values."
Featured Image Credit: @UnionSlug/TwitterTopics: Australia