Democratic leader of the House of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries blasted the Democratic Socialists of America after the group targeted him mock ads that includes the watermelon image.
“The watermelon has long been used as a dehumanizing racial trope by white supremacy in America. In light of the planned rally targeting our district office, the use of racially charged imagery should come as no surprise given the role NYC-DSA and other activists have played in aggressively attacking black elected officials,” said Andy Eicher, Jeffries’ director of communications. The Post in a statement.
“They have no credibility in the community that Leader Hakeem Jeffries so proudly represents,” Eicher added.
Jeffries, whose district includes Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie and Coney Island, is the first black person to lead House Democrats and would be the frontrunner to serve as House Speaker if the party regains control of the chamber.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries blasts this “racist” ad from the DSA that targets him with a watermelon.NYC-DSA/X
The original DSA ad criticized Jeffries for speaking at a “March for Israel” rally in Washington DC this week, and urged their supporters to protest his office on Friday to demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Top elected socialists in New York, such as Sen. Jabari Brisport and Julia Salazar, share a news article that asserts that the watermelon has been a symbol of Palestinian resistance for a long time.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is the first black person ever elected to lead the Democratic House.AP
“It’s quite racist to say that Palestinians can’t use the watermelon symbol because only Black people eat watermelon,” Brisport protested in a X post on Thursday.
Brisport also issued a sharp warning to Jeffries.
“My Senate district overlaps a lot with @RepJeffries, especially his Democratic voters. His continued support for the genocide of Palestinians has put him out of touch with our community,” he wrote Friday.
A pro-Palestinian protester waves a sign with a watermelon at a rally.Getty Images
Protests outside Jeffries’ office continued on Friday evening, video of the event posted by DSA shows. Many protesters displayed signs with images of watermelons in defiance of Jeffries’ protest.
A representative for DSA did not respond to a request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
