The main meanings of the Red Cross emblem are as follows:

Protective – indicating that this is a person or thing protected by international humanitarian law and should not be attacked.

Indicative--Indicate that this is a person or thing related to the Red Cross Movement.

People and things bearing this sign have legal rights and obligations. The rights are protected by a series of laws, and the obligation is to abide by the various restrictions and restrictions on their behavior imposed by the sign and avoid actively participating in any hostile acts.

The meaning of the red cross symbol determines the sacredness of the symbol.

The patterns and colors of the red cross logo are simple and bright, and are intended to give people a very clear visual symbol so that the above information can be conveyed quickly in an emergency and be understood quickly without causing any problems. An ambiguity occurs. Because it mainly functions in situations of armed conflict.

In addition to its own meaning, the Red Cross emblem does not convey any other information, let alone any information containing political ideology or religious characteristics.

The origin of the Red Cross emblem

There is such a description in "Memoirs of Solferino": "In a certain battle, if a black flag flies high , it means that the first aid station is located there, and this place is by default protected from artillery fire." This shows that the Red Cross emblem was not produced in the War of 1859 and previous wars.

The International Committee for the Relief of Wounded Soldiers, established in Geneva in February 1863, considered that in view of the specificity of battlefield rescue work, in order to enable those injured in the war to receive assistance without discrimination, it is necessary to adopt a simple, clear and simple form. An easily identifiable sign to mark personnel, vehicles and buildings used for medical and rescue activities in wartime; and that specific regulations on this sign and its use should be fixed in the form of an international convention to ensure that All parties to the conflict respect and protect those who wear this emblem.

Therefore, at the Geneva International Conference in October 1863, several members of the committee proposed a proposal: to use white armbands with a red cross printed on them as a protective symbol for medical personnel. However, the historical data does not fully explain whether the adoption of this symbol was to pay tribute to the country of Switzerland (because the Red Cross movement was born in this country), or because it was inspired by the white flag recognized by the international community to represent a ceasefire (the addition of a red cross was to to avoid confusion), perhaps a combination of the two ideas above. The Geneva Convention revised on July 6, 1906 clearly stipulates: In order to show respect for Switzerland, the flag with a red cross on a white background is formed by inverting the federal flag and is reserved as a symbol and special mark of the medical department of the armed forces. . Since then, this provision has been reiterated in the Geneva Conventions revised on July 27, 1929 and August 12, 1949.

Regardless of the reasons at the time, the countries participating in the first International Humanitarian Conference agreed to adopt the red cross emblem as a protective symbol for all personnel participating in wartime medical and rescue activities. The Red Cross emblem was first used in war during the Battle of Zelswig between Prussia and Denmark in 1864. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross Movement as a whole soon became famous for this, which produced a huge moral force and legal effect, gathering all kinds of people under its flag.

One thing must be pointed out here: the choice of the red cross pattern was quite accidental, and the person who originally chose this pattern did not give it any religious significance. As M. Huber's "Principles and Problems of the Red Cross" said: "Neither Henry Dunant himself nor his collaborators nor the participating countries of the Geneva Conference intended to make the Red Cross Movement and the Red Cross Emblem There is no religious imprint on it, and there is no attempt to link it in any way with a philosophical thought. "This is the characteristic of the Red Cross Movement.

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