The red triangle has increasingly appeared in anti-Israel propaganda as a symbol of hate and intimidation. Its manifestations range from social media emojis and graffiti on Jewish institutions to badges worn at protests, and most recently,  patches on Hamas Uniforms.

Facts & Historical Origins

Historically, the inverted red triangle was used to identify political prisoners during the Holocaust, symbolizing persecution and oppression. It later appeared on the 1917 Flag of the Arab Revolt and subsequently became part of the Palestinian flag. In recent years, Palestinian groups like Hamas have adopted it to mark targets during attacks, infusing the symbol with aggressive and violent connotations. Most recently, Hamas has incorporated the red triangle into patches worn on their uniforms.

Threat to Jewish Communities and Public Safety

The red triangle has been weaponized as a tool for hate, appearing in acts of vandalism such as marking Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner's residence and Tagesspiegel's headquarters, leading to its prohibition by the Berlin Senate in July 2024. In New York, the homes of Jewish leaders have been defaced with this symbol, signaling intimidation and potential violence. Its use perpetuates fear and hostility, making it a significant threat to public safety and Jewish communities worldwide.

The red triangle is weaponized to intimidate and incite hostility, repurposing a Holocaust-era symbol of persecution into a modern tool for hate against Jews.

The watermelon’s use as a symbol draws attention due to its striking resemblance to the colors of the Palestinian flag—red, green, black, and white. This seemingly lighthearted or cultural reference has gained traction in protests and online spaces, often employed in contexts that mask or obscure its deeper meaning.

Facts & Historical Origins

The watermelon, with its colors mirroring the Palestinian flag, emerged as a covert form of protest in regions where explicit Palestinian symbols, such as the flag, were banned. By using the watermelon’s visual resemblance to the Palestinian flag, it became a subtle means of expressing Palestinian identity and resistance. Over time, it has been adopted as a cultural and political symbol representing the desire to replace Israel with a Palestinian state.

Threat to Jewish Communities and Public Safety

• Symbolism of Erasure: The watermelon represents a subtle but potent message—advocating for the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state, aligning with extremist narratives that deny Israel's legitimacy.
• Amplifying Divisiveness: By embedding this symbol into protest and social media contexts, it perpetuates a one-sided narrative that fuels tensions between communities, escalating hostility rather than fostering dialogue.
• Encouraging Antisemitism: While it may appear benign, the symbol often accompanies rhetoric or imagery that dehumanizes Israelis or Jewish people, normalizing such attitudes and contributing to the spread of antisemitism.

The watermelon symbol, though it may seem harmless, operates as a dog whistle for a broader ideological stance that denies Israel's right to exist and promotes its erasure. By cloaking this message in cultural or seemingly lighthearted imagery, it evades scrutiny while embedding deeply divisive and harmful narratives into public discourse. This not only escalates tensions but also legitimizes antisemitic sentiments, making it a subtle yet insidious threat.

The red hands symbol, popularized by the Artists4Ceasefire pin, features a red hand with a black heart at its center. Since October 7th, the symbol has gained widespread attention in advocacy for a ceasefire in Gaza, frequently appearing at protests, on social media, and at university graduation ceremonies in 2024. Additionally, vehicles displaying red hand prints and other provocative imagery have been reported in Jewish neighborhoods.

Facts & Historical Origins

For many Jews, the red hand evokes traumatic memories from the Second Intifada. In October 2000, two Israel Defense Forces reservists inadvertently entered Ramallah and were brutally lynched by a mob at a local police station. A harrowing photograph from that day captured one of the perpetrators proudly displaying his blood-soaked hands to a cheering crowd. This image has since become a symbol of brutality in Palestinian propaganda, cementing its association with violence against Israelis.

Threat to Jewish Communities & Public Safety

The red hands symbol reinforces a narrative of violence and trauma for Jews, evoking painful historical associations and contributing to an environment of fear and hostility.

Some terrorists and their supporters have used the “time out” hand symbol for propaganda purposes in the wake of October 7.

Facts & Historical Origins

Since October 7, antisemitic terrorists, including Hamas gunmen and now-deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, have occasionally formed a “time out” symbol with their hands. Some anti-Israel protesters have formed the symbol as well. One analyst attributed the symbology to the U.S. assassination of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, after which Iran-backed terrorists used the hand symbol to convey the idea that U.S. military activity in Iraq should take a “time out” and that the United States should “get out” of Iraq. Hamas’ adoption of the symbol is likely meant to communicate a similar meaning, but vis-a-vis Israel’s military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza.

Threat to Jewish Communities and Public Safety

Use of this symbol during anti-Israel protests should be regarded as invocation of Hamas symbology, much like the inverted red triangle (see item #1 above). Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization dedicated to murdering Jews and destroying Israel.

Some commentators and activists have desecrated the memory of Anne Frank since Hamas’ October 7 massacre.

Facts & Historical Origins

Abducted by the Nazis in 1944 and shipped to concentration camps after hiding for two years in Amsterdam, Anne Frank’s story serves as a testament to the unique evil of the Nazi regime and of her resilience in the face of unimaginable persecution. The diary she kept while hiding in Amsterdam is one of the world’s most cherished accounts of the experiences of Holocaust victims. Yet, since October 7, antisemites and anti-Israel activists have increasingly appropriated the memory of Anne Frank to attack the Jewish state, attempting to analogize her experience to that of Gazans during Israel’s war to destroy Hamas. Wielding the memory of a well-known victim of antisemitic persecution as a cudgel against the Jewish state and its supporters is meant to cause Jewish communities pain by framing them as no better than their tormentors.

Threat to Jewish Communities and Public Safety

Such “Holocaust inversion” is an antisemitic attempt to equate Jews and the Jewish state - victims and descendants of victims of the Nazis - with Nazi Germany. Framing Jews as Nazis exacerbates Jew-hatred by providing antisemites with a false pretext for their bigotry.