House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries criticized the Democratic Socialists of America after the group attacked him with mocking ads which included a picture of a watermelon.
“The watermelon has long been used as a dehumanizing racist trope by white supremacists in America. In connection with the planned demonstration against our district office, the use of racially inflammatory imagery should not be surprising given the role NYC-DSA and other gentrifiers have played in aggressively attacking Black elected officials,” said Andy Eicher, communications director. by Jeffries. The Post in a statement.
“They have no credibility in the communities that leader Hakeem Jeffries proudly represents,” Eicher added.
Jeffries, whose district includes Bedford Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie and Coney Island, is the first Black man to lead House Democrats and would be the favorite to serve as House speaker if the party retakes the camera control.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries condemned this “racist” DSA ad that targeted him with a watermelon.NYC-DSA/X
DSA’s original ad condemned Jeffries for speaking at the “March for Israel” rally in Washington DC this week and urged his followers to protest his office on Friday to demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Leading elected socialists in New York, such as state senators Jabari Brisport and Julia Salazar, shared newspaper articles insisting that the watermelon was a long-standing symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is the first black man elected to lead the Democratic House.AP
“It is quite racist to say that Palestinians cannot use the symbol of a watermelon because only “Black people eat watermelon,” Brisport protested in a X Thursday post.
Brisport also issued a clear warning to Jeffries.
“My Senate district overlaps quite a bit with @RepJeffries, particularly with his Democratic voters. “His continued support for the genocide of the Palestinians has left him completely out of touch with our community.” he wrote on Friday.
Pro-Palestinian protesters wave a sign with a watermelon at a demonstration. Getty Images
The protest outside Jeffries’ office continued Friday night. video of the events published by the DSA showed. Many of the protesters brandished signs with images of watermelons in defiance of Jeffries’ objections.
DSA representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
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