https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-jr-right-wing-crusades-obsession

A banner with a variation of the Jerusalem cross was used at the proclamation of the Revolution on Mount Pelion Anthimos Gazis in May 1821 in the Greek War of Independence.^{[1][unreliable source?]}

When Albert, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), visited Jerusalem in 1862, he had a Jerusalem cross tattooed on his arm.^[2] German Emperor Wilhelm II visited Jerusalem in 1898 and awarded the Jerusalem-Erinnerungskreuz (Jerusalem Memorial Cross) order in the shape of a Jerusalem cross to those who accompanied him at the inauguration of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.

In the early 20th century, the Jerusalem cross also came to be used as a symbol of world evangelization in Protestantism. A derived design known as the "Episcopal Church Service Cross" was first used during World War I by the Anglican Episcopal Church in the United States.^[3] The Jerusalem cross was chosen as the emblem of the Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag (German Protestant Church Assembly) in the 1950s, since the 1960s shown in a simplified form where the central Cross potent is replaced by a simple Greek cross.

The modern national flag of Georgia was introduced in 2004, with a design based on the 15th century Pizzigano chart's use of the cross as the flag of Tbilisi.

The papal Order of the Holy Sepulchre uses the Jerusalem cross as its emblem, in red, which is also used in the coat of arms of the Custodian of the Holy Land, head of the Franciscan friars who serve at the holy Christian sites in Jerusalem, and whose work is supported by the Order. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, affiliated with the Order, also uses the Jerusalem cross in its emblem.^[4]

The Jerusalem cross is also the symbol of Kairos, a four-day Jesuit retreat that is held for youth in high schools and parishes around the world. The four crosses are used to symbolize the motto of the retreat, "Live the fourth".

The Unicode character set has a character ☩, U+2629 CROSS OF JERUSALEM in the Miscellaneous Symbols table. However, the glyph associated with that character according to the official Unicode character sheet is shown as a simple cross potent, and not a Jerusalem cross.

The Jerusalem cross is often used in frequency selective surface applications. The Jerusalem cross is an attractive choice for the periodic element because such a choice makes the frequency selective surface less sensitive to angle of incidence.^[5]

The use of the Jerusalem cross has come under attention during the 2000s in the United States as a result of various political figures and groups using the cross. The Crusades became an object of focus for some white supremacists during the 2000s.^[6] Its use by political figures has been met with some controversy. Democrat Tom Steyer drew the cross on his hand for years as a reminder to stay honest, but it confused others when he showed up with the hand-drawn symbol on his hand during Democratic debates in 2020.^[6] In 2024, the use of the cross as a tattoo by Pete Hegseth also drew increased media attention after his nomination to become secretary of defense.^[7] Hegseth said that concern over this tattoo "caused his leadership in the District of Columbia National Guard to pull him from a mission to guard the inauguration of President Biden and ultimately factored into his decision to retire from the military."^[7] National Guard security officials expressed concern instead over the Latin text "Deus Vult" in a separate tattoo of Hegseth's.^[8]

^[9]

One of the symbols Crusaders wore was the Jerusalem cross, also known as the crusader cross, experts said.

Today, the Jerusalem cross isn’t a common Christian symbol, nor is the phrase “Deus Vult,” said Matthew Gabriele, a Virginia Tech medieval studies professor. Some small sects of mainstream religions, such as the Catholic Order of the Holy Sepulchre, use the Jerusalem cross.

However, both the cross and the Latin phrase “Deus Vult” are popular among right-wing extremist groups, experts said. Flags bearing the crusader cross and “Deus Vult” were flown during a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The phrase “Deus Vult” was also on flags at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. A gunman who killed eight people in 2023 in Allen, Texas, had swastika and “Deus Vult” tattoos.

Although the Jerusalem cross “doesn’t always necessarily connote an endorsement of the Crusades,” Taylor said, far-right and neo-Nazi groups use the symbol. “‘Deus Vult’ is even more prominently embraced (by extremist groups) as a very aggressive vision of Christian conquest,” he said.

When used in combination, the Jerusalem cross and “Deus Vult” are “an invocation of the claim that crusader violence and its atrocities (including the massacre of civilians) was legitimate,” said Tom Hill, president and executive director of the Center for Peace Diplomacy, a nonpartisan organization working to end and prevent wars.

“It is this bloody, militant intent that comes first when seeking to understand its current usage as a symbol for those pledging their allegiances in contemporary politics — and this is why it has been appropriated by the so-called ‘alt right,’” Hill said.

sourcing for the idea that this is used by far right groups

From Poynter - November 25, 2024 https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2024/pete-hegseths-tattoos-deus-vult-jerusalem-cross-extremist/ “The [Jerasalem Cross has] modern-day ties to far-right and white supremacist groups.” “Jerasalem Cross … are popular among right-wing extremist groups, experts said.” “Taylor said, far-right and neo-Nazi groups use the [the Jerusalem cross]”

From The independent - 15 January 2020 [1] “As the BBC reports, the Crusades in the Middle East have been tied in recent years to the rise of white supremacists, and the Jerusalem Cross has been a part of that imagery.” From Fox News – November 2024- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pete-hegseths-tattoos-symbols-christian-nationalism - “Hegseth detractors have said the Jerusalem Cross is an indicator of extremism, White supremacist and Christian nationalist sentiment.

From PBS – Jan 2025 “[Jerusalem Cross] has been associated with extremist groups.”

In July 2023, Rolling Stone reported that composer Nomi Abadi had accused Elfman of sexually harassing her between 2015 and 2017. According to the magazine's reporting, Abadi and Elfman signed a non-disclosure agreement in 2018, with Elfman agreeing to pay Abadi $830,000 in installments if she did not publicize her allegations against him. Abadi stipulated that part of the settlement would help establish a nonprofit foundation, the Female Composer Safety League. When Elfman defaulted on payments to the League, Abadi filed a breach of contract suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, leading to the matter becoming public.^[10]

After Rolling Stone revealed the existence of this agreement, Elfman denied the allegations, and said that he only agreed to the settlement because he feared that his "50-year career may be destroyed in one news cycle" if the claims had been published. Elfman stated Abadi had a "childhood crush" on him and intended to break up his marriage to pursue him romantically, but that he rejected her advances, leading to the allegations. Elfman's lawyer was quoted saying "accusations alone should not and do not equate to guilt, and Danny will defend himself and clear his name with the volume of evidence and the other party's own words — her words speak for themselves." The article also reports that Elfman provided two legal declarations, including one from a former friend of Abadi's, casting doubts on Abadi's claims.^[10]

In response, Abadi's attorney Jeff Anderson stated, "It is ironic that Mr. Elfman's current statements are directly contrary to the position he maintained in the underlying dispute and to the evidentiary record."^[11]

In October 2023, a Maryland woman, using the pseudonym Jane Doe XX, filed suit against Elfman for "sexual assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment and negligence." The woman alleged that between 1997 and 2002 Elfman groomed and sexually abused her in a similar fashion to Abadi's claims.^[12][13]

On July 10, 2024, Abadi sued Elfman for defamation concerning the statements he had made about the allegations to Rolling Stone in 2023.^[14] He was represented by a team including Camille Vasquez of the Depp v. Heard trial.^[15]

On September 4, 2024, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa K. Sepe-Wiesenfeld granted Elfman's motion for summary judgment in the lawsuit filed by Jane Doe XX and dismissed the case. Sepe-Wiesenfeld stated that the plaintiff's claims did not satisfy the requirements of the revival statute she had cited, that she had provided only "speculative statements" of possibly being assaulted while asleep, and that "no triable issue of fact" existed.^[16]