Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) went to Columbia University late last week to visit the anti-Semitic protest encampment at the university campus. Despite a viral video of one of the leaders in the protest saying that “Zionists don’t deserve to live, Ocasio-Cortez praised the protesters and their leaders.

Speaking to one of the activists, the lawmaker said, “The leadership you have is so fantastic. It’s really special. It’s really amazing.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s visit comes after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also visited the encampment ground in what she claimed was in solidarity against “right-wing attacks.”

In a video posted on her X and Instagram accounts, Omar was seen meeting with and shaking hands with protesters.

She referred to her visit as an “honor,” saying, “I had the honor of seeing the Columbia University anti-war encampment firsthand.”

“Contrary to right-wing attacks, these students are joyfully protesting for peace and an end to the genocide taking place in Gaza. I’m in awe of their bravery and courage,” she added.

The Democrat lawmaker was also seen greeting her daughter, Isra Hirsi, who was one of the students suspended from Barnard College for her participation in the encampment protest which violates campus policy. She was also one of over 100 anti-Israel protesters arrested in Columbia earlier this month.

Omar has always defended the protests and expressed solidarity with them.

In a post on April 17, she wrote, “Columbia has always had an incredible history of students fighting for a more just world and it’s good to see that tradition continue. As NYPD surrounds young activists, I hope their concerns are heard by school administrators and they not be criminalized. In solidarity.”

https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1780663997361983668

Even after her daughter got arrested, her support for the demonstrations did not flinch. Instead, she tried to defend the anti-Semitic protests by claiming that they looked bad because they had been “co-opted.”

“Throughout history, protests were co-opted and made to look bad so police and public leaders would shut them down. That’s what we are seeing now at Columbia University. The Columbia protesters have made clear their demands and want their school not to be complacent in the ongoing Genocide in Gaza,” she wrote in a post to X on April 22.

“Public officials and media making this about anything else are inflaming the situation and need to bring calmness and sanity back,” she added.