A campaign event for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Ithaca, New York, drew roughly 2,000 attendees — largely college students aligned with Democratic socialist causes — and featured chants that critics have long characterized as antisemitic, according to reporting by The Daily Wire.
The event, billed as a “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall, was held as Ocasio-Cortez is widely expected to seek higher office, with speculation centering on a U.S. Senate run. The Daily Wire reported that students led chants of “from the river to the sea” and “long live the student intifada” before the congresswoman took the stage.
Student Leaders Set the Tone
According to The Daily Wire, the chants were led by Mina Petrova and Zoe Reisman, co-chairs of the Cornell University Young Democratic Socialists of America. Petrova addressed the crowd ahead of Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance, directing criticism at her own university.
“Cornell is fundamentally a capitalist institution that prioritizes billionaires and profit over students and community and is controlled by CEO trustees that are profiting off of genocide and war,” Petrova said, per The Daily Wire’s account.
The phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” refers to the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — the area encompassing Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Daily Wire noted that the slogan has long been understood by its critics as a call for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state, and that the U.S. House of Representatives voted in 2024 to formally declare the chant hateful and antisemitic. Ocasio-Cortez voted against that resolution.
Ocasio-Cortez Doesn’t Distance Herself
The Daily Wire reported that Ocasio-Cortez made no effort to separate herself from the chanting and singing that preceded her remarks. She also took aim at Cornell, suggesting the university had not handled student protests in an acceptable manner.
“Whether it’s the issue about Palestine or many others. Whether it’s about people trying to fire those who are forming a union in their workplace, whether it’s people trying to speak up about a number of different issues, we have to respond to that first crackdown,” she said, according to the report. “When we come out in numbers, they cannot take us all.”
The event was advertised as “part of an effort by the Congresswoman to boost turnout in Democratic strongholds ahead of the November election,” per The Daily Wire. But the outlet reported that many observers saw it instead as an effort to build inroads ahead of a broader run for statewide office — the Senate — or eventually the presidential nomination.
Hochul Withdraws From Separate Upstate Event
Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) had initially been scheduled to appear alongside Ocasio-Cortez at another upstate event earlier on Sunday, but withdrew, citing concerns about a major storm system affecting the Northeast, according to The Daily Wire.
The Ithaca town hall comes as Ocasio-Cortez’s national profile continues to draw intense scrutiny, particularly around her positions on Israel and Palestine — an issue that has divided the Democratic coalition since the October 7, 2023 attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza. Her vote against the House resolution condemning the “river to the sea” chant has been a recurring point of criticism from pro-Israel groups and political opponents.
The scene in Ithaca also highlights the ongoing tension on college campuses over protest activity and free expression. Cornell was among the campuses that saw significant pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the 2023–2024 academic year, and the university’s administration has faced pressure from both student activists and alumni over how it responded.
Ocasio-Cortez has not publicly commented on the specific chants at the Ithaca event, and her office has not issued a statement in response to The Daily Wire’s reporting. The congresswoman has previously defended pro-Palestinian speech while condemning antisemitism, though critics argue the distinction has been blurred at events like the one in Ithaca.
The event drew a crowd that organizers and the congresswoman’s team characterized as part of a broader push to energize young voters and progressive activists ahead of the November election. Whether the imagery and slogans from the town hall will complicate that effort — or her broader political ambitions — remains an open question.
The Daily Wire’s report also underscored the ongoing debate over the phrase “from the river to the sea,” which supporters describe as a call for Palestinian freedom and equal rights, while detractors, including a majority of the House in 2024, view it as inherently antisemitic and a rejection of Israel’s right to exist.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-campaign-event-features-antisemitic-chants-singing