A group of Democratic lawmakers didn’t wear clothing, masks with swastikas. The image is doctored

Four Democratic congresswomen known as "the squad"— Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — became frequent targets of online misinformation after their wins in the 2018 midterm elections.

And the attacks haven’t stopped.

A photograph of the group, which also includes U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo. and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., is circulating on social media and shows the women wearing clothing or accessories that appear to have stars in the shape of the Nazi swastika symbol. For Bush and Bowman, the symbol appears on their masks. 

The photo was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Featured Fact-check

Instagram posts

stated on October 27, 2024 in an Instagram post

Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz “says that if Democrats win they’ll make (U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) speaker of the house.”

The photo isn’t genuine. It was manipulated to add the symbols. The colors on the clothing were also doctored.

The original image was posted on Twitter by Bush on Jan. 3, the day the 117th Congress was sworn in. It shows no signs of any swastikas.