A community forum hosted by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Astoria last night was disrupted by a group of angry protesters (Photos: Screenshots)
Oct. 20, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
A community forum hosted by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Astoria last night was disrupted by a group of angry protesters.
The event, which was held at The Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens on 30th Road, saw a group of around 10 demonstrators heckle the progressive Congresswoman inside the packed auditorium.
Video clips of the disruptions have gone viral showing demonstrators chanting “AOC Has Got to Go” and “Vote Her Out.”
A man with a hand drum can be seen pounding out a beat, while other protesters are holding signs reading “Stop Sandy Lying,” and “Wake up New York. Vote for Tina Forte. F–k AOC.”
Forte is Ocasio-Cortez’s Republican opponent in the upcoming election for New York’s 14th Congressional District.
Ocasio-Cortez in one of the clips can be seen smiling and dancing to the taunts while sitting on the stage and sipping from a bottle of water.
A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez said the demonstrators were not constituents and are part of a “far-right wing group that regularly protest against COVID vaccinations [and] LGBTQ rights.”
“We do thank the numerous constituents from Astoria who turned out last night to engage in the civic process,” the spokesperson said. “We’re grateful that we were still able to have a meaningful dialogue, in spite of that group.”
The forum was organized by Ocasio-Cortez in order for residents to ask questions and get feedback from the lawmaker on her record and policy positions.
Protesters standing up and taunting Ocasio-Cortez (Photo: Screenshot)
A near eight-minute video of last night’s disturbance was posted to YouTube by FreedomNewsTV.
The video starts off during a discussion about providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors when one man can be seen complaining — in explicit terms — that such a policy would discriminate against heterosexual people.
Several attendees can be heard groaning and disagreeing with the man while Ocasio-Cortez responds by saying: “Sir, your sexual orientation has nothing to do with it.”
A second man then stands up to ask Ocasio-Cortez about crime and starts talking about the EMS Lieutenant who was fatally stabbed in the district last month. The man is quickly drowned out by Ocasio-Cortez supporters chanting over him.
Seconds later, another man appears banging a drum before several other protesters stand up and begin chanting “we the people will not comply.”
One female protester then begins hysterically shouting “wake up, wake up.”
After some back and forth, Ocasio-Cortez tries to get the demonstrators to settle down and engage in a conversation.
However, the woman then shouts out “there’s only two f—king genders.”
The lights then go out and Ocasio-Cortez was escorted to the back of the stage by security. She returns soon after when the lights go back on.
Upon her return, a man gets on the microphone and pleads with the protesters to stop as he says he wants to ask her about crime and her previous comments about defunding the police.
But the shouting continues with the protesters chanting “vote her out” to which Ocasio-Cortez’s supporters yell back: “AOC, AOC.”
Last night’s forum comes a week after Ocasio-Cortez was heckled by two protesters in the Bronx who said her decision to support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia could lead to nuclear Armageddon.
Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the forum Wednesday (Photos: Screenshot)
Ocasio-Cortez supporters applaud the lawmaker (Photo: Screenshot)
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