A town hall hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was disrupted Friday evening by a protester who accused the congresswoman of enabling “genocide” in Gaza and labeled her a “war criminal.”
The event, held in her congressional district, had barely started when Ocasio-Cortez began presenting a PowerPoint presentation focused on the Trump administration’s past budget cuts, including claims that local healthcare systems were impacted.
Before she could complete her first slide, a woman in the audience interrupted by loudly demanding an explanation for the congresswoman’s stance on Gaza.
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“I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza!” the protester shouted.
Audience members immediately began shouting over the disruption, with chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and loud boos directed at the protester.
The exchange continued for several moments as the woman kept yelling over the congresswoman, accusing her of dishonesty and complicity in wartime atrocities.
“Shame on you, you’re a liar. You’re a liar!” she screamed.
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As she was eventually escorted from the room by staff, she continued yelling, “Shame on you, I used to support you. You’re a war criminal! War criminal! War criminal!”
NOW: “You’re a war criminal!” –
Pro-Palestine Heckler shouts as AOC holds Town Hall in Jackson Heights Queens, NYC. pic.twitter.com/92cE0ReYXD— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) May 2, 2025
Event organizers allowed the protester to continue shouting before intervening and escorting her out without incident.
After order was restored, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the situation and appealed for civil discourse during the remainder of the town hall.
“I more than welcome people who disagree, or are super pissed off at me for any issue to come, but we have some ground rules here,” she told the crowd.
“Please wait for the Q&A, because we don’t want to deprive all of our neighbors of the ability to have information and hearing them respond to it… We need to be able to have this conversation.”
The disruption comes amid growing scrutiny over Ocasio-Cortez’s political trajectory, with speculation mounting that she may be preparing for a run at higher office.
Her fundraising figures in the latest quarter have added fuel to those rumors.
According to her campaign, Ocasio-Cortez raised a staggering $9.6 million over the last three months, one of the largest fundraising hauls ever recorded by a House member.
Her campaign reported that the money came from 266,000 individual donors, with an average donation of $21.
“I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy,” she wrote on social media.
“Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.”
I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy.
Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities.
All with an avg donation of $21.
THANK YOU & Pa’lante ♥️ https://t.co/gv7dR2ICGC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 15, 2025
The incident reflects the growing pressure some progressive lawmakers are facing over their positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In recent months, Ocasio-Cortez and other left-wing members of Congress have faced mounting protests, calls for stronger statements, and criticism from activists who believe the Biden-Harris administration and its allies are not doing enough to stop the violence in Gaza.
The town hall continued without further interruption, and the Q&A portion proceeded as scheduled. Ocasio-Cortez did not further address the protester’s specific claims during the remainder of the event.
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