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{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2010}}

[[File:Red star.svg|135px|thumb|right|A red star]]

A '''red star''', five-pointed and filled (<big><span style="color: red">★</span></big>), is an important [[symbol]] often associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with [[hammer and sickle]]. It has been widely used in [[flag]]s, [[Nation state|state]] [[emblem]]s, [[monument]]s, [[Ornament (art)|ornament]]s, and [[logo]]s.

== Symbol of communism ==

The five-pointed red star has often served since about 1917 as a [[symbol of communism]]. One interpretation sees the five points as representing the five fingers of the [[Working class|worker's]] hand, as well as the [[Continent#Number of continents|five continents]]. A lesser-known suggestion{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} is that the five points on the star were intended to represent the five [[group (sociology)|social group]]s that would lead Russia to communism: the [[youth]], the military, the [[industrial labour]]ers, the [[agriculture|agricultural]] workers or [[peasant]]ry and the [[intelligentsia]].

A red star became one of the emblems, symbols and signals representing the [[Soviet Union]] under the rule of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]], along with, for example, the [[hammer and sickle]]. In Soviet heraldry, the red star symbolized the [[Red Army]] and the military service, as opposed to the hammer and sickle, which symbolized peaceful labour.

Different countries across [[Europe]] treat the symbol very differently: some have passed laws banning it by claiming that it represents "a [[totalitarian]] ideology", but other countries hold a very positive view of it as a symbol of [[antifascism]] and [[Resistance during World War II|resistance]] against [[Nazi]] occupation.
 
<gallery class="center">
File:Red star Red Army 05.gif|Red star, Red Army 1918
File:Budionovka-plakat-1920.jpg|Red Cavalry poster with [[budenovka]], 1920

File:Emblem of the Latvian SSR (1918-1920).svg|Coat of arms of the [[Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic]] (1919–1920)
</gallery>

== History ==
The star's origins as a symbol of a mass political movement date to the times of the [[Russian Civil War]] of 1917-1922 and the end of the First World War in 1918, but the precise first use remains unknown. It is most often thought{{by whom|date=October 2016}} that Russian troops fleeing from the Austrian and German fronts found themselves in Moscow in 1917 and mixed with the local Moscow garrison. To distinguish the Moscow troops from the influx of retreating front-liners, officers gave out tin stars to the Moscow garrison soldiers to wear on their hats. When those troops joined the [[Red Army]] and the [[Bolshevik]]s they painted their tin stars red, the color of socialism, thus creating the original red star.<ref>Khvostov, Mikhail (1996), ''The Russian Civil War (1) The Red Army''. Published by Men-At-Arms. ISBN 1-85532-608-6.</ref>

Another claimed origin for the red star relates to an alleged encounter between [[Leon Trotsky]] and [[Nikolai Krylenko]]. Krylenko, an [[Esperantist]], wore a [[Esperanto symbols|green-star]] lapel badge; Trotsky enquired as to its meaning and received an explanation that each arm of the star represented one of the five traditional continents. On hearing that, Trotsky specified that soldiers of the Red Army should wear a similar, red, star.<ref>[http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/ts/stelo.html Pri La Stelo: Militista simbolo]</ref> In a speech given by Trotsky in 1923, he mentions the red star:
{{quote|For the seventh time since the overthrow of Tsardom, for the sixth time under the sickle and hammer of the Soviets and the Red star of battle<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1922/military/ch16.htm Speech At the Parade on Red Square, 1 May 1923]</ref>}}
And the badge was used in the Red Army during the Civil War:
{{quote|Immediately after the [[October revolution]] [1917] all ranks of the 3rd Petrograd regiment wore their old uniforms but with shoulder-board removed and with Tsarist cap insignia replaced by the red star<ref>The Russian Civil War (1): The Red Army By Mikhail Khvostov, Andrei Karachtchouk, page 37 (there are several mentions of the use of the red star from 1918)</ref>}}

[[File:Curtiss JN-3.jpg|thumb|right|U.S. Army Signal Corps Curtiss JN-3 biplanes with red star insignia, 1915]]
Shortly before the founding of the Soviet Union, in mid-March of 1916 the [[U.S. Army Signal Corps]]' aviation section used the red star<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/03/chasing-pancho-villa/ |title=Historic Wings - Flight Stories - Chasing Pancho Villa |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=March 15, 2013 |website=fly.historicwings.com |publisher=HW |access-date=February 21, 2016 |quote=Just one day after arriving, on March 16, 1916, the first reconnaissance flight was flown by Capt. Dodd with Capt. Foulois (as an observer) on the Curtiss JN-3 S.C. No. 43.  As with all of the Army’s aircraft in that era, the plane carried simple markings — a ''red star'' on the tail and the large number 43 painted on the sides of the fuselage.}}</ref> for the national [[Military aircraft insignia#United States|insignia for U.S. aircraft]] during the [[Pancho Villa Expedition]] on the aircraft of the Signal Corps' [[1st Reconnaissance Squadron#Punitive expedition|1st Aero Squadron]] to apprehend the Mexican revolutionary, as just one instance of a series of interesting "crossovers" of American and Russian/Soviet military aircraft markings, during the 20th century's first three decades.

[[Joseph Stalin]] is also known for wearing a pendant resembling the red star, as he did at the [[Teheran Conference]] in 1943.

It has also been suggested that the use of the red star might be related to the popular novel called [[Red star (novel)]] from 1908 by [[Alexander Bogdanov]].<ref>https://heartinaheartlessworld.blog/author/heartinaheartlessworld/</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:Kremlin Star.jpg|[[Kremlin stars|Kremlin Star]], [[Moscow]], (1937)
File:Orden-Pobeda-Marshal Vasilevsky 09.jpg|Soviet Order of Victory, (1945), USSR

File:Red Star Plate by Adamovich 1921.jpg|Plate by Adamovich, (1921), USSR

</gallery>

=== Wider use ===

Following its adoption as an emblem of the Soviet Union, the red star became a symbol for communism in a larger sense. The symbol became one of the most prominent of the [[Soviet Union]], adorning all official buildings, awards and insignia. Sometimes the [[hammer and sickle]] appeared depicted inside or below the star. In 1930 the Soviet Union established the [[Order of the Red Star]] and awarded its insignia to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace".

<gallery class="center">
File:State Emblem of the Soviet Union.svg|[[State Emblem of the Soviet Union|Coat of arms]] of the [[Soviet Union|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]]
File:Emblem of the Armenian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Azerbaijan SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Byelorussian SSR (1981-1991).svg|[[Emblem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Estonian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Georgian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of Kazakh SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Kirghiz SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Latvian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Lithuanian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Moldavian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Russian SFSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Russia Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Tajik SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Turkmen SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Ukrainian SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
File:Emblem of the Uzbek SSR.svg|[[Emblem of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Coat of arms]] of the [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic]]
</gallery>

Several [[Communist state]]s subsequently adopted the red star symbol, often placing it on their respective flags and [[coat of arms|coats of arms]] - for example on the [[flag of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]. [[Separatism|Separatist]] and socialist movements also sometimes adopted the red star, as on the [[Estelada flag]] in the [[Catalan countries]].

In former Yugoslavia the [http://www.redstar-militaria.de red star] was not only considered{{by whom|date=October 2016}} a communist symbol, as were the hammer and sickle; but also as a symbol of resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation and associated ethnic policies. [[Yugoslav partisans|Tito's partisans]], often including people with different political views, or even with a religious background{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}, wore the red star as an identification symbol. As the use of the red star spread to communism in East Asia, it was adapted: while some states kept the star as it was, some used a yellow star, particularly on a red field, with the same symbolism. The [[Far Eastern Republic]] of 1920 to 1922 used a yellow star on its military uniforms, and the [[Flag of the People's Republic of China|flag]] of the People's Republic of China has five yellow stars on a red field. The [[Flag of Vietnam|flag]] of [[Vietnam]] also has a yellow star on a red field. In [[Brazil]], however, the red star remained as it was.

<gallery class="center">
File:Laureada de Madrid-fondo blanco.png|[[Laureate Plate of Madrid]] award of the [[Spanish Republic]] (1937-1939)
Image:Emblem of North Korea.svg|[[Emblem of North Korea]]
File:Emblem of the Federal State of Croatia.svg|Coat of arms of the [[Federal State of Croatia]] (1943–1947) 
File:Transnistria-coa.svg|Coat of arms of [[Transnistria]] (1991)
File:Coat of arms of Belarus.svg|[[National Emblem of Belarus]]
File:Emblem of Laos 1975-1991.svg|[[Emblem of Laos]] (1975-1991)
File:Coat of arms of the People's republic of Mongolia.svg|[[Emblem of Mongolia|Emblem of the People's Republic of Mongolia]] (1960-1992)
File:Emblem of the People's Republic of Benin.svg|[[Coat of arms of Benin|Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Benin]] (1975–1990)
File:Coat of arms of Burkina Faso 1984-1991.svg|[[Coat of arms of Burkina Faso]] 1984-1997
File:Emblem of Mozambique.svg|[[Emblem of Mozambique]]
File:Coat of arms of South Yemen (1970-1990).svg|[[Coat of arms of South Yemen|Coat of arms of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] (1970-1990)
File:Coat of arms of Czechoslovakia (1961-1989).svg|[[Coat of arms of Czechoslovakia|The Coat of arms of communist Czechoslovakia]] (1961-1989)
</gallery>

The Soviet and Russian Federation military newspaper is called the ''Red Star'' ([[russian language|Russian]]: ''[[Krasnaya Zvezda]]'').<ref>http://www.redstar.ru/</ref> Several sporting clubs from countries ruled by Communist Parties used the red star as a symbol and named themselves after it, such as the 1991 European and World champions the Yugoslav club [[Red Star Belgrade]] ({{lang-sr|Crvena zvezda/Црвена звезда}}), the East German [[Roter Stern Leipzig]], the Angolan [[Estrela Vermelha do Huambo]], the [[Estrela Vermelha (Beira)|Estrela Vermelha]] from [[Beira, Mozambique]] or the Czechoslovak [[Rudá Hvězda Brno]]. Some sports teams from non-communist countries used it, such as French [[Red Star F.C.|Red Star]] from Paris, Swiss club [[FC Red Star Zürich]], English [[Seaham Red Star F.C.]], and even an American women's soccer club ([[Chicago Red Stars]] -- though in that case the star is based on the [[flag of Chicago]] and not the communist logo).

<gallery class="center">
File:Civil ensign of SFR Yugoslavia.svg|Civil ensign of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]
File:Flag of the Italian Partisan 63rd Brigade.svg|Flag of the Italian Partisan 63rd Brigade
Image:Estelada roja.svg|Catalan red ''[[estelada]]''
Image:Bandeira galega nacionalista.svg|Galician ''[[estreleira]]''
Image:Bandera_Andalucía_Libre.svg|Andalusian Arbonaida
File:DYFI-flag.svg|[[Democratic Youth Federation of India]]
</gallery>

The Brazilian leftist [[Worker's Party (Brazil)|Worker's Party]] uses a red star as its symbol with the party acronym ({{lang-pt|Partido dos Trabalhadores - PT}}) inside. [[Hugo Chávez]] and his supporters in Venezuela have used the red star in numerous symbols and logos, and have proposed including it in the logo of the [[United Socialist Party of Venezuela]] (PSUV).{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} It was also used throughout 2007 as a symbol of the "5 Engines of the [[Bolivarian Revolution|Bolivarian Socialist Revolution]]". It is also used by the militant South African [[shack]]-dweller's movement [[Abahlali baseMjondolo]].

The [[Red Army Faction]], a [[West Germany|West German]] militant group, used a red star paired with a [[Heckler & Koch MP5]] in their highly recognizable insignia.

The red star was included in the flag of the [[Chiapas]] armed [[revolutionary]] group ''Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional'' (EZLN) or [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] upon their formation in 1994. The same flag, a [[Anarchist black flag|black flag]] with a red star, was used by US rock band [[Rage Against the Machine]] – who were vocal supporters of the EZLN and other left causes – so much so that the symbol came to be associated with the band, separate from the EZLN.

[[North Korea]]'s [[Red Star OS|Red Star operating system]] takes its name from the communist red star.

<gallery class="center">
File:URSS-Russian aviation red star.svg|Soviet Military Air Force (1943-1991), Russian Military Air Force (1992-2010 and from 2013) and Belarusian Military Air Force and Air Defence Forces roundel
Image:Armed Forces of Belarus emblem.png|Symbol of the Ministry of Defense of the [[Republic of Belarus]]
File:Russian Air Force roundel.svg|Russian Military Air Force roundel (2010-2013)
File:China_Emblem_PLA.svg|Emblem of the People's Liberation Army
Image:Coat of arms military-of-kazakhstan.svg|The coat of arms of the [[Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]
Image:PT star real version.svg|Symbol of the Brazilian [[Worker's Party (Brazil)|Worker's Party]]
File:RAF-Logo.svg|Insignia of the [[Red Army Faction]]
</gallery>

By March 2010, the [[Russia]]n government readopted the Soviet red star (but now with a blue outline reflecting the three colors - white, blue and red - of the Russian flag) as a military insignia.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} The [[Russian Air Force]] used this star as a roundel to 2013; when Russia re-instated the Soviet-era red star.<ref>[http://izvestia.ru/news/543587 Военно-воздушные силы отказались от трехцветных звезд] Армия, Известия {{lang-ru}}</ref>

{{As of | 2014}} the [[Armed Forces of Belarus]] still use the old [[USSR|Soviet]] red star. The coat of arms of [[Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan]] includes a modified version of the Soviet red star.

== Other symbolisms ==
Some red stars adopted in emblems and flags have a significance that does not originally relate to socialism. Among these, the most well-known include the current state [[flag of California]] (echoing the Californian red star flag of 1836) and the flag of [[New Zealand]] (designed in 1869, officially adopted in 1902).  The [[flag of the District of Columbia]] (designed in 1921, adopted in 1938) recalls [[Coat of arms of the Washington family|George Washington's coat of arms]].
<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of New Zealand.svg|[[Flag of New Zealand]].
Image:Flag of Djibouti.svg|[[Flag of Djibouti]].
File:Flag of Tunisia.svg|Flag of [[Tunisia]] 
File:Flag of Panama.svg|[[Flag of Panama]].
File:Flag of Syria 2011, observed.svg|[[Flag of Syria|Flag]] of [[Syrian National Council|Syria]] (opposition group during the [[Syrian Civil War|civil war]]). Was the independence flag first used in 1932.
File:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg|[[Flag of Zimbabwe]].
File:Flag of California.svg|[[Flag of California]].
File:California Lone Star Flag 1836.svg|California Lone Star Flag - 1836.
File:Flag of Washington, D.C..svg|Flag of [[Washington, D.C.]].
File:Bandeira do Acre.svg|Flag of [[Acre State]], Brazil.
File:Flag of Pashtunistan.png|Flag of [[Pashtunistan]].
Image:Flag of Nagasaki, Nagasaki.svg|Flag of [[Nagasaki]] city.
File:Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.png|Flag of Turkish [[Northern Cyprus]].
File:Flag of Birmingham, Alabama.svg|Flag of [[Birmingham, Alabama]].
File:Gharghur coa.svg|Arms of [[Għargħur]], Malta.
File:Escudo de Moríñigo.svg|[[Moríñigo]] coat of arms.
Image:Coat of Arms of Canton of Valais 3D.svg|[[Valais]] coat of arms
Image:Blason Crain.svg|[[Crain, Yonne]] coat of arms.
Image:Blason ville fr Chauriat (Puy-de-Dôme).svg|[[Chauriat]] coat of arms.
</gallery>

=== Symbol of animal relief ===
The red star was adopted as the symbol of the [[International Red Star Alliance]], a Geneva international treaty signed in 1914 with the purpose of bringing about international cooperation on behalf of sick and wounded [[war animal]]s, while securing the neutral status of the personnel engaged in such work. Besides the International Alliance, national Red Star societies were also established. Regarding animal relief, the International Red Star Alliance had an analogous role of that of the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement]]. To identify their neutral status, white [[brassard]]s with red stars were worn by military veterinary personnel in [[World War I]] in a similar way medical personal worn brassards with red crosses.<ref>[http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/animals/pa-aes-redstar.pdf Celebrating 125 years, American Humane Association]</ref>

Following the War, the [[American Red Star]] turned to focus on domestic issues, including care for animals during disasters. The organization waxed and waned over the decades, and {{as of | 2016 | lc = on}} exists as the [[American Humane Association]]'s [[Red Star Animal Emergency Services]].<ref>
http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/animals/aes-redstar-1pager-41511.pdf
</ref>{{verification needed|date=August 2015}}
<!-- Was the American Red Star always under the American Humane Association? Needs clarification -->

== Red stars in labels and logos ==

<gallery class="center">
File:Martinazzi Flasche A.jpg|Logo of [[Martinazzi]]
File:SanPellegrinoBottle A.jpg| A [[San Pellegrino]] bottle
File:Heineken-etykieta.JPG|Label of a [[Heineken]] bottle
File:AKO Crabmeat 002.jpg|Logo of AKO, product of the [[Soviet Union]]
File:Macys.svg|Logo of [[Macy's]] department stores
File:Texaco Logo.jpg|[[Texaco]] logo, circa 1913
File:Caltex logo.png|[[Caltex]] logo, circa 1936
File:Logo-stellarossa.gif|Sports club « Stella Rossa », [[Austria]]
File:CSKA Sofia logo.svg|[[PFC CSKA Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
File:Logo FC Red Star Belgrade.svg|[[Red Star Belgrade]], [[Serbia]]
File:RedStarFC Badge.png|[[Red Star FC]], [[Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis|Saint-Ouen]], [[France]]
File:Burgee of sdyc.svg|[[Burgee]] of [[San Diego Yacht Club]]
File:BPOE logo.png|Logo of the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks]]
File:HC Kunlun Red Star logo.png|[[HC Kunlun Red Star]], [[China]]
File:Logo of SK Slavia Praha.svg|[[SK Slavia Prague]]
</gallery>

The American soccer clubs [[Sacramento Republic FC]] and [[D.C. United]] also use red stars in their logos, referencing the flags of [[Flag of California|California]] and the [[Flag of the District of Columbia|District of Columbia]], respectively.

The red star was used by the [[Texaco]] oil company in various forms from 1909-1981.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Texaco|url=http://www.texaco.com/about-timeline.aspx|website=Texaco.com|accessdate=25 May 2016}}</ref> Its overseas division [[Caltex]] also used the red star until 1996.
The Red Star is currently a registered trademark of [http://redstarautoworks.com/ Red*Star Auto Works Inc.] (pic).

==Holiday usage==
[[File:Volokolamsk (Moscow Oblast) 12.jpg|thumb|Modern [[syncretism]]: a New Year tree with a red star in front of a church cupola in [[Volokolamsk]], Russia, 2010.]]
The red star was commonly placed atop [[New Year tree]]s in the Soviet Union, a tradition that continues to this day in Russia.

== Legal status ==

{{See also|Hammer and sickle#Legal status|l1=Hammer and sickle#Legal status}}

The red star and the [[hammer and sickle]] are regarded as occupation symbols as well as symbols of [[totalitarianism]] and [[state terror]] by several countries formerly either members of or occupied by the [[Soviet Union]]. Accordingly, [[Latvia]],<ref>{{cite web|title=BC, Riga, 16.05.2013|url=http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation/&doc=74860|website=The Baltic course|accessdate=3 August 2014}}</ref> [[Lithuania]],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/7459976.stm | work=BBC News | title=Lithuanian ban on Soviet symbols | date=17 June 2008 | accessdate=22 May 2010}}</ref> [[Hungary]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code, Section 335: Use of Symbols of Totalitarianism|url=http://thb.kormany.hu/download/a/46/11000/Btk_EN.pdf|page=97|website=Ministry of Interior of Hungary|accessdate=21 February 2017|quote=Any person who: a) distributes, b) uses before the public at large, or c) publicly exhibits, the swastika, the insignia of the SS, the arrow cross, the sickle and hammer, the five-pointed red star or any symbol depicting the above so as to breach public peace – specifically in a way to offend the dignity of victims of totalitarian regimes and their right to sanctity – is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by custodial arrest, insofar as the did not result in a more serious criminal offense.}}</ref> and [[Decommunization in Ukraine|Ukraine]]<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-bans-soviet-era-symbols-1428606171 | title=Ukraine Bans Soviet-Era Symbols}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.memory.gov.ua/laws/law-ukraine-condemnation-communist-and-national-socialist-nazi-regimes-and-prohibition-propagan | title=LAW OF UKRAINE. On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) regimes, and prohibition of propaganda of their symbols}}</ref><ref>http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/317-viii</ref> have banned the symbol amongst other things deemed to be symbols of fascism, socialism, communism and the Soviet Union and its republics. In [[Poland]], the Parliament passed in 2009 a ban that referred generally to "fascist, communist or other totalitarian symbols", while not specifying any of them.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577305,00.html | work=Fox News | title=Poland Imposes Strict Ban on Communist Symbols | date=27 November 2009}}</ref> Following a constitutional complaint, it has been abolished by the Constitutional Tribunal as contrary to the art. 42(1) (construed here as requiring adequate precision of a law that imposes penal liability) in connection with art. 54(1) (the freedom of speech) and art. 2 of the Polish Constitution (effective from 03.08.2011). A similar law was considered in [[Estonia]], but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee as too onerous for constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, most importantly, [[freedom of speech]]. [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] is planning to introduce measures banning communist symbols, including statues of Joseph Stalin.<ref name="Communist symbols to be banned in Georgia">{{citation|title = Communist symbols to be banned in Georgia|url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27272993|publisher = BBC News|date = 4 May 2014|accessdate = 13 May 2014}}</ref>

The [[European Court of Human Rights]] has ruled, in a similar manner, against the laws that ban political symbols, which were deemed to be in clear opposition with basic human rights, such as freedom of speech,<ref>[http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=html&documentId=837602&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649 ECHR judgment in case Vajnai v. Hungary]</ref><ref>[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/217632,wearing-a-red-star-in-hungary-is-a-basic-human.html Wearing a red star in Hungary 'is a basic human right' : Europe World]</ref> confirmed again in 2011 in case ''Fratanolo v. Hungary''.<ref>[http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=open&documentId=894751&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649 Press release 222(2011)]. Registrar of [[ECtHR]] 03.11.2011.</ref> The decision has been compared<ref>[http://index.hu/belfold/csillag0624/ European Court considers Labour Party's red star – in Hungarian]</ref> to the [[Swastika#Post-World War II stigmatization in Western countries|legislation]] concerning the symbols of [[Nazism]], which continue to be banned in several [[European Union]] member states, including [[Strafgesetzbuch § 86a|Germany]] and [[France]].

There have been calls for an EU-wide ban on both Soviet and Nazi symbols, notably by politicians from Lithuania, Estonia, the [[Czech Republic]], Hungary and [[Slovakia]]. The European Commissioner for Justice, [[Franco Frattini]], felt it "might not be appropriate" to include communist symbols in the context of discussions on xenophobia and anti-Semitism.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4234335.stm | work=BBC News | title=EU ban urged on communist symbols | date=3 February 2005 | accessdate=22 May 2010}}</ref>

In 2003, Hungarian politician Attila Vajnai was arrested, handcuffed and fined for wearing a red star on his lapel during a demonstration. He appealed his sentence to the [[European Court of Human Rights]], which decided that the ban was a violation of the freedom of expression, calling the Hungarian ban "indiscriminate" and "too broad".<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry |first=Andrew |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,663154,00.html |title=Vestiges of 'Genocidal System': Poland to Ban Communist Symbols |publisher=Spiegel |date=2009-11-24 |accessdate=2013-09-14}}</ref>

In [[Slovenia]], the red star is respected as a symbol of resistance against fascism and Nazism. On March 21, 2011, Slovenia issued a [[€2 commemorative coins#2011 coinage|two-euro commemorative]] coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of [[Franc Rozman]], a partizan commander, featuring a large star that represented a red star.

== Non five-pointed red stars ==
Emblems and flags where the red stars displayed are not five-pointed are much rarer. Among these the following deserve mention.
<gallery class="center">
File:Flag of the International Brigades.svg|Three-pointed red star in the flag of the [[International Brigades]].
File:Flag of Aruba.svg|Four-pointed red star in the [[flag of Aruba]].
File:Flag_of_Burundi.svg|Six-pointed red stars outlined in green in the [[flag of Burundi]].
File:Flag of Chicago, Illinois.svg|Six-pointed red stars in the [[flag of Chicago]].
File:ChicagoRedStars.png|The [[Chicago Red Stars]] soccer club uses a six-pointed red star derived from the Chicago flag.
File:AA Flag.png|Seven-pointed red star in the flag of the [[Arakan Army (Kachin State)]]
File:Naval Ensign of Singapore.svg|Eight-pointed red star in the [[Naval Ensign]] of [[Singapore]].
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Socialism|Communism|Soviet Union}}
* [[Five-pointed star]]
* [[Red flag (politics)|Red flag]] (<big><span style="color: red">⚑</span></big>)
* [[Hammer and sickle]] (<big>☭</big>)
* [[Communist symbolism]] 
* [[Star and crescent]]
* [[Star of Bethlehem]]
* [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
* [[FC Red Star Belgrade]]
* [[FC Red Star Saint-Ouen]]
* [[FK Velež Mostar]]
* [[Waasland-Beveren]]
* [[Pancho Villa Expedition]], when [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps|American military aircraft]] used a red star insignia (1916–17)

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Red stars}}
* [[commons:Gallery of flags with stars#Red five-pointed star|Flags with stars – Wikimedia Commons]]
*[https://heartinaheartlessworld.blog/2017/03/24/origin-of-the-red-star-2// Blog: Heart in a Hearless World - on the origin of the red star]

{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights]]
[[Category:Symbols of communism]]
[[Category:Military symbols]]
[[Category:Star symbols]]
[[Category:Red symbols|Star, red]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:National symbols of Armenia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Belarus]]
[[Category:National symbols of Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:National symbols of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Moldova]]
[[Category:National symbols of Russia]]
[[Category:National symbols of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:National symbols of Tajikistan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Turkmenistan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Ukraine]]
[[Category:National symbols of Uzbekistan]]