Indonesia’s ‘Palang Merah’ --- Thanks Gerhard and JM. There were indeed numerous attempts in Indonesia to change the Red Cross emblem to Red Crescent. The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) was set up by Presidential Decrees back in the 1950s and 1960s and some people saw this ‘gap’ as an opportunity. The Crescent is associated with Islamic religious symbol, but Indonesia is not (de jure) a Muslim country. I remember the ICRC’s legal team worked with the PMI and other relevant stakeholders for years with same arguments e.g. the Red Cross emblem is reversed Swiss flag, widespread acceptance by the Indonesian people for decades, gave new significance to the Red Cross symbol as JM mentioned etc. Eventually a Red Cross Law was enacted in 2018 affirming the use of Red Cross emblem for PMI.

Source author: Ivy Susanti ivysusanti@gmail.com