AOC addresses crowd chanting pro-Palestinian slogan at Cornell town hall

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, attracting an estimated 2,000 attendees on Cornell’s campus. The event was organized with the Young Democratic Socialists of America and More Perfect University, whose co-chairs Mina Petrova and Zoe Reisman led the audience in singing “from the river to the sea” and shouting “long live the student intifada.”

Ocasio-Cortez condemned what she called efforts to suppress student protest on issues ranging from Palestine to labor organizing, asserting that mass participation would prevent repression. The slogan she referenced has been officially deemed antisemitic by the US House, a resolution she opposed. She was also scheduled to appear with Governor Kathy Hochul, but the governor’s office cancelled the meeting, citing a nor’easter affecting New York City. The episode highlights ongoing campus tensions over free speech and the Israel-Palestine debate ahead of the November elections.