Chris Pratt is facing criticism over a T-shirt he was pictured wearing featuring a controversial symbol.
The Marvel star’s top shows the American flag with a coiled snake over the top and a message underneath which reads “Don’t Tread On Me.”
The writing and snake combo on its own is depicted on the Gadsden flag; a symbol created by Christopher Gadsden, a Charleston-born brigadier general in the Continental Army.
It came to prominence during the Revolutionary War of the US by colonists who wanted independence from Great Britain.
Although it is one of the symbols and flags used by the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team, Metallica, as well as some libertarian groups, over the years the flag has been adopted by Far Right political groups like the Tea Party, as well as gun-toting supporters of the Second Amendment.
It has therefore become a symbol of more conservative and far right individuals and, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of the US, it also is “sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts.”
Gadsden Flag came to prominence during the Revolutionary War
It’s why some people are critical of Pratt wearing a T-shirt featuring the Gadsden flag iconography.
Many have posted their feelings about it on Twitter.
Andy Dwyer would never wear a shirt emblazoned with a white supremacist dogwhistle. Chris Pratt is unequivocally the worst Chris. https://t.co/NHjUfKdhPA
— Amanda Clarke (@akclarke_) July 16, 2019
I like him, but all these small things about his politics makes me wonder when he’ll say something transphobic, tank his career, and do the full heel-turn into a Fox commentator https://t.co/Emfzd02GmK
— Tim Byrnes (@timbyrnes89) July 16, 2019
That’s everyone’s fave, Chris Pratt, wearing a snake logo recently associated with lads from the Tea Party to the depths of 4chan https://t.co/61VW2sMbdN
— Jonathan Dean (@JonathanDean_) July 16, 2019
Hot take: It sucks this flag is now associated with alt-rights rather then those who appreciate John Locke’s philosophies.
I understand there are also a lot of repubs disguising as libertarians these days tho. And random bigots in my neighborhood. But I’m open minded~A liberal ?♀️ https://t.co/izsGLJmqPq— ☠️ KC the #Outlaw ☠️ (@SomeEdgyThingy) July 16, 2019
Although Pratt has not come out as a supporter of the Republican party it seems he shares conservative viewpoints on the gun lobby and is a member of the Hillsong Church which has been accused by ex-members, as well as Ellen Page, as being homophobic.
The actor attends the Church with his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger who he married in early June.
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Pratt has most recently been promoting the first trailer of Pixar’s new animation Onward in which he plays one of two two teenage elf brothers, alongside Tom Holland, who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world.
Pratt is the voice of Barley Lightfoot and Holland his younger brother Ian in the film which hits cinemas March 2020.
