Pro-Palestinian protesters confronted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fiancé in Brooklyn. They demanded she label Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide."
The encounter happened outside the Alamo Drafthouse. The protesters recorded the confrontation, pressing Ocasio-Cortez on her stance.
"I need you to understand that this is not okay," Ocasio-Cortez responded to accusations of not recognizing a genocide. The protesters persisted, urging her to condemn the actions as genocide, citing over 30,000 deaths reported by Gaza's health ministry.
Ocasio-Cortez and her fiancé, Riley Roberts, were followed as they tried to leave. Roberts attempted to dissuade the protesters from continuing their pursuit.
The congresswoman expressed frustration, predicting that her words would be taken out of context. Eventually, she appeared to acknowledge the situation as genocide.
Despite her concession, the protesters remained unsatisfied. They questioned her willingness to speak openly about other genocides but not this one.
Ocasio-Cortez has criticized Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties and hostages. She has advocated for a ceasefire and reevaluation of U.S. aid to Israel.
Following the attack, she accused Israel of war crimes but clarified her stance was not in defense of Hamas.
