The Aryan Circle (#AryanCircle) is the second-largest White Supremacist prison gang in Texas and one of the largest such gangs in the United States. Its most common tattoo, known as the “shield” or “patch,” consists of a square rotated to form a diamond shape. Inside the diamond there is typically a swastika and the initials AC (Aryan Circle).
It is also common for #SS lightning bolts to be incorporated into the design. Because of this symbol, members of the Aryan Circle often refer to their gang as “The Diamond” and may use phrases such as “let this diamond shine!”
Because of the group's age, dating back to the 1980s, and its size, there are numerous variations of the symbol. In the Aryan Circle's early years, members used a smaller, simpler tattoo consisting of SS lightning bolts inside a circle. This symbol can still occasionally be found in use. Members of the Aryan Circle also use various coded references to identify themselves, commonly involving the number 13 (using numbers in place of letters, representing A and C).
This also includes the percentage-based symbols we have discussed elsewhere: “113%,” meaning “100% Aryan Circle,” as well as the numbers 36 or 136, referring to “Circle Forever” or “Aryan Circle Forever.” Members may also use the number 360, referring to a complete rotation of a circle, since a circle has 360 degrees.
The symbol can also be formed with the fingers, either upright or in an inverted configuration, with the little and middle fingers raised while the index finger and thumb form a straight line. Members of the Aryan Circle may also display the symbol using both hands, raising one finger with one hand and three fingers with the other. Because members of the Aryan Circle often refer to their group as “the Diamond,” they may also form a diamond shape by joining two fingers with those of another person.
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