Rep. Jeffries Blasts Socialist Group for Targeting Him With ‘Racist Trope’

DSA defends imagery, saying ‘Watermelons, grown commonly in Palestine, have the same colors as the Palestinian flag.’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks at the march for Israel in Washington on Nov. 14, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has castigated the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for using the “racially inflammatory” imagery of a watermelon slice to promote a pro-Palestinian protest outside the black congressman’s New York office.

The DSA used the image in a Nov. 15 social media post advertising a protest against Mr. Jeffries for his support of Israel amid the nation’s ongoing conflict with the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas.