Jeffries splits with Squad over image he calls racist

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has split with his allies in the progressive Squad over his stance in support of Israel and because of an image used on a poster in protest of that position, which he believes is racist.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of which Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York are members, used an image of a watermelon in a social media post about a protest at Jeffries' office, something the minority leader called a longtime symbol of racism against Black men.

“The watermelon has long been used as a dehumanizing racist trope by white supremacists in America,” Jeffries’ communications director Andy Eicher wrote about the flyer. “[T]he use of racially inflammatory imagery should come as no surprise given the role NYC-DSA and other gentrifiers have played in aggressively attacking Black elected officials.”

The watermelon was drawn with crayons, and protest attendees were invited to “Make art outside Hakeem Jeffries’ Office.”

The DSA claimed the watermelon was a symbol of solidarity with Palestine, explaining on X, “Watermelons, grown commonly in Palestine, have the same colors [as] the Palestinian flag — red, green, and black. Even facing years of violent repression, occupation, and apartheid, [the watermelon] was a way of saying: ‘we are still here, we still exist.'”

Several Democrats have accused the DSA of antisemitism in its views and public statements.