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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a demonstration for women's right to abortion
Photo:
Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
They marched from the Capitol to the cordoned-off Supreme Court, their green scarves in white letters said, "Won't back down," we won't give in.
The police also showed up promptly, but instead of following the call to break up the demonstration, more than a dozen US Democrats sat down on the ground in a peaceful protest for the right to abortion in the US, which the Supreme Court of Justice wiped out in June after 50 years.
One by one they were taken away, including: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
She and her fellow Democratic Party members must have known that the police would end their "civil disobedience act."
Nevertheless, they achieved their goal: They drew attention to one of their central campaign topics, including meaningful pictures with fists raised at the side of stern-looking police officers, which were shared and clicked thousands of times directly on social media.
It's an Ocasio-Cortez specialty, if you will.
The progressive MP has made a rapid rise.
In 2019, the New Yorker with Puerto Rican roots was the youngest member of the House of Representatives at the time (read more about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The American Talent here).
Criticism also of Biden
Ocasio-Cortez represents the left wing of the Democrats and has made a name for himself with radical political demands, but he does not hold back with clear criticism of the more conservative part of his own party – including US President Joe Biden.
A migrant child from the Bronx who has worked her way up, she is the antithesis of the white wealthy billionaire type that still dominates US politics.
As a representative of a new generation of politicians, the 32-year-old is fighting for a number of issues that concern many young Americans.
She is committed to combating climate change and wants health insurance for everyone.
With 13 million followers on Twitter alone, AOC, as it is known for short, is as present as few other politicians.
Videos of her speeches in Congress on social media, regular late-night performances are all part of her awareness strategy.
Recently seen in red on white at the Met Gala, fundraiser and fashion highlights of the year.
At this celebrity show, AOC wore a dress with a message: on the back of a white, off-the-shoulder wedding dress-like evening wear, it said in large red letters: "Tax the Rich", roughly translated: Taxes the rich.
An action that brought her joy for her courage and at the same time criticism as a "hypocrite".
But lately, attempts to use her platform for candidates or causes she cares about haven't always met with the desired results.
In several high-profile congressional primaries this year, candidates she supported were defeated by more moderate candidates promoted by the Democratic establishment.
Even in her hometown, the Ocasio-Cortez-backed Maya Wiley lost to the more moderate Eric Adams as the Democratic mayoral candidate.
The ex-policeman was later elected mayor.
In any case, Ocasio-Cortez's activity has long been viewed with distrust in her own party.
On the moderate and conservative wing, some strategists fear that they and their supporters are pushing the party so far to the left as to scare off undecided centrist voters.
In her own constituency, she is classified as "distinctly left" by the vast majority of the electorate: "She's not popular outside of the very left online electorate," Jon Reinish, a New York-based Democratic political strategist, told AFP.
Third term sought
And so Ocasio-Cortez, who is seeking a third term of her own accord this year, seems to be trying to avoid any impression that she is losing touch with her constituents.
After all, four years ago she had also toppled Joe Crowley, one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, saying he was more focused on his political ambitions in Washington than on the working-class people he was supposed to represent there.
Just last weekend, AOC was on a flying visit to Queens, where it said it was "always a cause for concern" that it gave the impression that it had lost touch with its roots.
Now she is taking to the streets for women's rights in the USA, raising her fist in the air and allowing the police to take her away for her convictions.