AOC slammed for saying 'false accusations' of antisemitism are 'wielded against people of color'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said during an online discussion she hosted on Monday that "false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people of color."

The "Squad" member hosted an online livestream titled "Antisemitism and the Fight for Democracy" on X, admitting that the rise in antisemitism and attacks against Jews since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel – where about 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 others were taken as hostages into Gaza – "undermined" the progressive movement.

"Antisemitism, hate and violence against Jews because of their identity is real, and it is dangerous. It is also important to say here in this moment and during that conversation that criticism of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic and criticism of Zionism is not automatically antisemitic," Ocasio-Cortez said.

"That being true does not mean that we should not recognize that criticism and when that criticism crosses a line into real harm against our Jewish community," she continued. "Antisemitism is an assault on our values as Americans and especially as progressives. Antisemitism is also a threat to a community that is a vital partner in our struggles against injustice. So, when the Jewish community is threatened, the progressive movement is undermined. That is why we reject it as fiercely as we reject and look for misogyny, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry or discrimination in any space that we occupy. Right now, antisemitism is on the rise in America and across the world. Acknowledging that fact does not take away from fights for liberation, it actually advances them."

"At the same time, it is also true that accusations and false accusations of antisemitism are wielded against people