Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

The Other Red Hat / (You’ll like this one better)

By Joyce Vance, Feb 25, 2026

February 26 is a special day. Read on to find out why, and what it has to do with my favorite hobby, knitting, and protesting against government oppression.

Even if you’re not a knitter, you may have heard the story about the red hats people knit in Norway during World War II. In Nazi-occupied Norway, they became an unlikely symbol of resistance. They were a nod back to red stocking caps that Santa’s elves were depicted wearing in Norwegian folklore, adopted as a symbol of protest and community. They were ultimately banned by a proclamation that read:

“Warning. Red top hats. The use of red top hats has increased so much in recent times that it is now considered a demonstration. The use of these hats is therefore prohibited as of Thursday, February 26, 1942. From this day on, top hats will be taken away from anyone who appears wearing them and criminal liability will be imposed on the person concerned – for children under 14 years of age – against the parents or guardians.”

Norwegians outsmarted the ban with clever Christmas cards depicting elves wearing hats in every color other than red. Other cards showed elves with no hat at all, a clear reference to what had been banned.

Earlier this year, the hats began showing up again, this time on American knitters. It came as no surprise that people who knit the ubiquitous “Pink Pussy Hats” of Trump’s first term in office decided to adopt the Norwegian symbol of protest, with its delightful swipe at the red MAGA hats Trump, according to Jared Kushner, made $80,000 a day off of during the 2016 campaign. On Ravelry, which is sort of like Facebook for knitters, but without the disinformation, it seemed like everyone I knew was knitting a red Norwegian hat. I started digging around and learned that a knitting shop in Minneapolis, Needle & Skein, had revived the Norwegian protest hats with a pattern called the “Melt the ICE Hat.”

I started asking friends about them and got responses like, “Yes, I am making (at least) one.” Another friend advised that even people who didn’t knit or crochet could purchase the pattern, because all of the proceeds were going to immigrant aid agencies for distribution to people impacted by the Trump administration and ICE. She ended her message like this: 🧶 💪🏽🧊

Another knitter told me, “I go to protests and periodically write to my representatives, but this is a way I can communicate my feelings about the regime every time I go out.” I started asking people why they were knitting the hats, and got more responses than I could print.

“The story behind the hats, the Norwegians resisting the Nazis in WWII, resonates, because I think we are facing the same kind of evil today.”

“I’m horrified at the actions of this administration, and also I hope the hats will serve to flag to vulnerable individuals that the wearers are safe people who will help them if they ask.”

“I love that I can wear something that shows my support for an idea without needing words or a specific image. The fact that I’ve created it just makes it that much better and really makes it personal.”

Continue/Read Original Article: https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-other-red-hat