this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2025
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Palestine

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Dutch politician Esther Ouwehand was asked to remove her first shirt (Palestine flag), so she came back wearing another one of watermelon seeds. (media.expressional.social)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by Peter_Link@expressional.social to c/palestine@lemmy.ml
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Dutch politician Esther Ouwehand was asked to remove her first shirt (Palestine flag), so she came back wearing another one of watermelon seeds.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon/_as/_a/_Palestinian/_symbol]

see original post: https://techhub.social/@mahmoudoov/115232831501836545

#EstherOuwehand #gaza #palestine #genocide #StopGenocide #NeverStopTalkingAboutPalestine
@palestine@lemmy.ml @palestine@fedibird.com

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[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 55 points 6 days ago (3 children)

What's the significance of watermelon seeds?

[–] platypode@sh.itjust.works 108 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Watermelon has been used as a plausibly deniable way to show support for Palestine since 1967 per Wikipedia, since it shares the same colors as the flag while being a completely common and innocuous item.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 6 days ago

I was not aware of this. Thank you kindly

[–] Birch@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

TIL about watermelon 🍉 support

E: there ought to be a list of hidden meaning of various emojis

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Same colors as the one she was told to remove.

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 24 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Who asked her and under what authority?

This timeline is batshit insane

[–] thymos@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 5 days ago

The speaker of the house asked her, but only when urged to by another member of parliament who reminded him that earlier this year, another member was asked to change the T-shirt he was wearing with a foetus on it during a debate about abortion. The rule is that the appearance of the parliament should be neutral.

By the way, because she was asked to change her clothes, the moment was aired in all talk shows that evening, with an explanation of the watermelon blouse she wore later (and which the speaker suggested she wore instead by the way), so this incident only helped to get her message out there.

[–] HopFlop@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)

At least in Germany, and I imagine it would be similar in the Netherlands, it would be the parliament's president because political symbols on clothing are not allowed.

[–] hyacin@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

political symbols on clothing are not allowed

Had some similar silliness in the Ontario provincial parliament in Canada when they decided a keffiyeh was a 'political symbol' or some such bs - they threw a member right out for refusing to take it off.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 5 points 5 days ago

IMO, it would be better if politicians were like Nascar drivers. At least it would be more honest.

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (2 children)

political symbols on clothing are not allowed

Not really. The Israeli flag has been raised over the German Bundestag building

[–] grindemup@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

You know that a building is not the same as clothing, right?

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Why does it matter on what the political symbol is?

[–] anzo@programming.dev 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Aww, you're so cute. Like the law would care about common sense instead of opressing minorities ;p

[–] HopFlop@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 5 days ago

Thats cute that you say opressing minorities because that decision (to put up the flag on that day) was made unanimously.

[–] hyacin@lemmy.ml 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Because you're talking about a law or rule - it is literally all about how it is written - people build entire careers on debating the interpretation of how they are written.

"No government employee can wear political symbols to work" is 100%, clearly and entirely not the same as "No political symbols may be shown anywhere on any government property"

Seriously?? A downvote?? You asked why it matters, I explained why it matters, jfc, leave the nasty Reddit behaviour on Reddit tyvm.

[–] HopFlop@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 5 days ago

Yeah because the Bundestag voted for it (unanimously btw)

[–] Sausa@beehaw.org 14 points 5 days ago

Watermelon is often used as a symbol of Palestinian resistance as it has the same colours as the flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_as_a_Palestinian_symbol

[–] Auntievenim@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago

Ngl both shirts go hard

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

Go Esther. The people who asked you to remove that flag don't want to be reminded that they are standing by while a genocide is underway.

[–] SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 days ago

Make it into politics and men are still pressuring you to take off your shirt

[–] Fancy_Gecko@lemmy.ml 23 points 6 days ago

freedom of speech

[–] Star@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 5 days ago

Where can I buy both of these? I love this

[–] spykee 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Okay, I confess I now want more Esther in my life.
...and Esther changing into different tops....has now woken something in me.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

A new Antifa perhaps?

[–] spykee 2 points 5 days ago

As long as Esther is the poster ~~girl~~ babe, I'm fine with whatever new it is.

[–] TheGreatSpoon@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

FYI she's a liberal zionist grifter who sided with Israel for over a year after the genocide started.

Denk and BIJ1 are the only parties that have supported Palestine from day 1 and the latter lost their singular seat in parliament after the last elections.

[–] WalterLego@lemmy.zip -3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Good for her. I don't think Israel should stop to exist and I support every liberal Israeli that wants to progress towards peace and coexistence.

If people want to drive Jews out of Israel, how are they better than Netanjahu and his genocidal government?

[–] DistrictSIX@lemmy.zip 4 points 5 days ago

The false choice of either you're a Zionist or you want to drive Jews out of Israel is so lazy and tired at this point.

Binational state, one person one vote, equal rights for all, truth and reconciliation. There's your third choice, and there are many more.

[–] Peter_Link@expressional.social 2 points 5 days ago

@palestine@lemmy.ml
@WalterLego @TheGreatSpoon
@palestine@fedibird.com

Whether or not she supports a Jewish-(supremacist) state of #Israel, it's still positive that she took a stand with the shirts.

But it isn't anti-#Jewish to advocate a single democratic state of #Palestine for all of those who live there (including those #Palestinians who were driven out since 1948, and their descendants).

Below is a T-shirt that I came up with that expresses that idea.

https://media.expressional.social/media/_attachments/files/114/229/862/649/109/487/original/d5ff095a2d5db52b.jpeg

@palestine@lemmy.ml
@palestine@fedibird.com

[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Yep those are two different shirts all right

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 3 points 5 days ago

So many nazis. We need to make a list!