Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was filmed in a tense confrontation with protesters over the weekend demanding that she call Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza a “genocide,” with the Democratic congresswoman angrily rebuking the group as they followed her out of a movie theater.
Video of the incident in Brooklyn appears to show AOC and her partner Riley Roberts attempting to walk away from the group.
“You refuse to call it a genocide,” a voice can be heard saying off-camera as the couple head toward an escalator. Turning to one person in the group, Ocasio-Cortez says: “I need you to understand that this is not OK.”
“It’s not OK that there’s a genocide happening and you’re not actively against it,” the man replies. “You’re lying,” the lawmaker responds.
The group continues to follow her out of the building, with one saying: “Over 30,000 people are dead AOC, can’t you just say it for once? Just say the word—that’s it, that’s all we want you to say.”
The row continues outside on the sidewalk, where Roberts appears to hold his hand up to the protesters. “Stop,” he says. “OK? Stop.” “We’re not doing anything,” one of the group replies. “We’re just talking to an elected public official.”
The footage then skips after an apparent edit, with AOC speaking to the person filming the encounter. “You’re gonna cut this and you’re gonna clip this so that it’s completely out of context,” AOC says, visibly frustrated. “I already said that it was,” she continues. “And ya’ll are just gonna pretend that it wasn’t, over and again.”
“It’s fucked up, man,” she continues, pointing at the protesters following her. “And you’re not helping these people.” The footage ends with Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly saying “you’re not helping them” as she walks away.
The progressive lawmaker, who has been calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict for months, was asked during a January interview with Meet the Press about whether or not she agreed with the sentiment that President Joe Biden has been “supporting a genocide” in his support for Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, or if using the word “goes too far.”
“I think what we are seeing right now throughout the country is that young people are appalled at the violence and the indiscriminate loss of life,” Ocasio-Cortez answered. She went on to reference the thousands of people killed and millions more displaced in Gaza, as well as South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel is perpetrating a genocide against Palestinians in the enclave. Ocasio-Cortez later added that she did not think using the word “genocide” is “something to completely toss someone out of our public discourse for using.”
On Oct. 9, she also released a statement saying she condemned Hamas’ attacks “in the strongest possible terms.” “No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region,” the statement added. “An immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives.”
The Hamas attacks in southern Israel led to 1,200 people being killed and over 250 others being kidnapped, according to Israeli estimates. Over 30,600 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s military operations launched in response, according to the Gaza health ministry.
