A pro-Palestinian organization called Within Our Lifetime has declared its intention to stage a protest at the campaign rally of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic New York Representative, in the Bronx. The group, through Twitter, revealed their plans for an event named “Flood The Bronx For Gaza,” during which they will voice their opposition to Ocasio-Cortez’s scheduled campaign rally. Their flyer specifically criticizes the self-proclaimed democratic socialist for endorsing Joe Biden as President, asserting that such an endorsement equates to endorsing genocide.
The group shared this flyer on Twitter:
🚨THE BRONX STANDS WITH PALESTINE AGAINST SELL-OUT POLITICIANS WHO TRADE PALESTINIAN LIVES FOR VOTES🚨
🇵🇸Flood the Bronx for Gaza
đź“… Saturday, June 22
⏰ 12:00 PM EST
đź“ŤSt. Mary's Park, The Bronx pic.twitter.com/WJ1uHXkeYk— Within Our Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) June 20, 2024
New York Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democratic supporter, took to Twitter to address the flyer. He expressed his concerns, stating that “Within Our Lifetime” not only justifies but also glorifies the most violent attack on Jews since the Holocaust. The phrase “flooding the Bronx for Gaza” is intended to display a distorted form of solidarity with Hamas. This group refers to the horrifying events of October 7 as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Another Democrat from her state, New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, responded:
Within Our Lifetime justifies and glorifies the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The notion of “flooding the Bronx for Gaza” is meant as a twisted show of solidarity with Hamas, which describes the terror of October 7 as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” A dangerous… pic.twitter.com/0pwiK1MW3k
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) June 21, 2024
In addition to the criticism, other pro-Palestinian organizations also joined in:
When you endorse the genocider in chief, you should expect to be organized against @AOC @JamaalBowmanNY @BernieSanders
Flood the Bronx for Gaza this Saturday👇 https://t.co/UEMAtaVvyI
— Palestine Solidarity Working Group🇵🇸🌹 (@PalestineSWG) June 20, 2024
The resistance signifies a significant shift from a faction that previously stood as one of Ocasio-Cortez’s most ardent backers. Ocasio-Cortez, who has received backing from radical left organizations such as the Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is facing the challenge of navigating the increasing divide within her party’s progressive faction. She is striving to strike a balance by condemning explicit antisemitism following Hamas’ terror attacks on Oct. 7 during the Nova Music Festival in Israel, all the while continuing to critique influential Israeli lobbying groups like AIPAC.
An unspoken secret in Congress is that much of the reflexive, blind, unconditional vote support for nearly any Israeli gov action isn’t from actual agreement.
It’s from fear.
Reps are terrified of this ⬇️. Of AIPAC. So they don’t vote their conscience. They vote their fear. https://t.co/0MmZnUtBTH
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 19, 2024