Were members of ‘The Squad’ pictured wearing clothing with Swastikas?

Brad Sylvester, DCNF
An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing clothing that features stars arranged in the shape of swastikas.
Verdict: False
The image has been digitally altered to add swastikas and a bow, as well as to change the color of Tlaib, Omar and Ocasio-Cortez’s clothing. Two face masks in the photo have also been doctored.
Fact Check:
The image shows Tlaib, Omar, Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, sometimes collectively referred to as “The Squad,” posing for a photo with two newly sworn-in Democratic members of Congress, Reps. Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman. In the photo, three members of the group — Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Omar — appear to have stars on their clothing arranged in the shape of swastikas.
“Look at rashida, omar and aoc dress, there is a swastika,” the text above the image reads in part.
Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller News Foundation found that the image has been digitally altered. Bush, who represents Missouri’s first congressional district, shared the original image in a Jan. 3 tweet.
Squad up. pic.twitter.com/bp2KATL22R
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 3, 2021
“Squad up,” Bush tweeted alongside the photo.
There are no swastikas in the original picture. In the altered photo, the color of Tlaib, Omar and Ocasio-Cortez’s clothing has been changed partly or fully to red. Bush and Bowman’s masks have also been doctored, and a red bow has been superimposed onto Pressley’s head.
Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib also shared the undoctored photo on Twitter. Omar, Pressley and Bowman quote-tweeted Bush’s Jan. 3 post, with Pressley and Bowman seemingly making references to “The Squad.”
Bush and Bowman were sworn in as members of the 117th Congress on Jan. 3.
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