AOC turns down offer to be star speaker at Labour conference over anti-Semitism

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has turned down the chance to be star speaker at the Labour party conference, PoliticsHome can reveal.

The party had hoped that the high-profile US Representative would travel to Brighton for the event.

Officials had pencilled her in to fill the prestigious "international speaker" slot on the Tuesday afternoon.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez was forced to backtrack last February after speaking to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on the phone.

Following their conversation, Mr Corbyn tweeted: "Great to speak to @AOC on the phone this evening and hear first hand how she’s challenging the status quo. Let’s build a movement across borders to take on the billionaires, polluters and migrant baiters, and support a happier, freer and cleaner planet."

The congresswoman replied: "It was an honor to share such a lovely and wide-reaching conversation with you, @jeremycorbyn! Also honored to share a great hope in the peace, prosperity, + justice that everyday people can create when we uplift one another across class, race, + identity both at home & abroad."

But when another Twitter user pointed out the problems Mr Corbyn has had dealing with anti-semitism in the Labour party, Ms Ocasio-Cortez responded: "Thank you for bringing this to me. We cannot + will not move forward without deep fellowship and leadership with the Jewish community. I’ll have my team reach out."

https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/106670/excl-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-turns-down-offer-be

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Reply 1

fallen_acorns

if true, then its really depressing for labour.

I mean, there are so many intelligent, insightful and brilliant left-wing thinkers, academics, writers and people with really brilliant ideas and stories to tell...

Then there is a young politician who was a bar-tender just a short while ago, with nothing to her name except her celebrity status and a failed 'aspiration' green-new-deal that was laughed at by her own party.

Even if you want to get a US left-wing politican to come and speak, why not invite one of the democrats who has actually achieved something? There are, again many, who have long political careers pushing progressive ideas and could talk at length about their experiances and progressive ideals..

But none of them have the trendy celebrity status as AOC currently has.

Reply 2

Nuttyy

Is your account made soley made for the purpose of insisting that the entire world is against Jews? 😂😂😂

Get a grip lad, you sound like a joke (in before this fool pulls out another ridiculous strawman saying I'm calling the Holocaust a joke or something LOL)

Reply 3

z-hog

That's a shame because they're all good for each other. Maybe she asked for too much money.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 4

AW_1983

Original post by AngeryPenguin

What is interesting is that Republicans and moderate Democrats have tried to smear AOC as an anti-semite recently. It mostly arises in both cases around some lazy thinking about the Middle East conflict rather than any malice on their part but the consequence is they do attract anti-semites to their cause.

Reply 5

the beer

Original post by Nuttyy

Is your account made soley made for the purpose of insisting that the entire world is against Jews? 😂😂😂

I don't think AngeryPenguin likes jews either, too white apparently.

Reply 6

SaraA7575

Corbyn is not even antisemitic he is just pro palestine

Reply 7

looloo2134

I'm disappointed there nothing about China in this post

Reply 8

username4914582

Good for her. Maybe this will show the Labour leadership just how petty and vindictive they have been with regards to this whole issue. The failure to deal with anti-semitism is disquieting to those of us who see Labour as the party standing firm against intolerance, and alienates the voters they need in order to form a government. The message to Corbyn and his allies should be clear: you're losing people over this, so do the right thing and start taking serious action over anti-semitsm, or AOC won't be the last talented young person (many of whom agree with everything else you say) who walks away.

Reply 9

BlueIndigoViolet

Good to see AOC take a stand against anti Semitism :smile:

Reply 10

999tigger

Original post by Nuttyy

Everyone except China. Look at their threads. They just cut and paste any negative article they can find about the west.

Reply 11

Nuttyy

Original post by SaraA7575

Corbyn is not even antisemitic he is just pro palestine

Apparently, these two are bound together. You can't be pro palestinian without wanting Jews to cook.

Reply 12

Lewito

Original post by SaraA7575

Corbyn is not even antisemitic he is just pro palestine

Yeah, he doesn't hate jews, he just loves the people that hate jews. Totally different.

Reply 13

SaraA7575

Original post by Nuttyy

Apparently, these two are bound together. You can't be pro palestinian without wanting Jews to cook.

Which is why everyone is labelling him an an antisemite in order to silence him. No one says anything about islamophobia in the Conservative Party

Reply 14

SaraA7575

Original post by The Mogg

Yeah, he doesn't hate jews, he just loves the people that hate jews. Totally different.

Being critical of Israel is not the same as hating Jews

Reply 15

looloo2134

Original post by SaraA7575

Being critical of Israel is not the same as hating Jews

PMs like Mr Corbyn left/right paid to much attention to a tiny country in the Middle East called Israel. Maybe if PMs took more notices of what happening in Britain their be more people voting joining parties the RSPB has more members than all the parties put together.

Reply 16

z-hog

If there's any truth in any of this, she did the right thing by fending his approach off. Labour would like to use her to canvass for the youthful vote and it wouldn't leave them exposed to any charges, she is the one who would have it turned on her that she had associated with Corbyn. Her opponents in the US would make a song and dance of her association with his and Labour's reputation on anything Jewish or Israeli. Her PR team would have never sanctioned it, toxic for her image at a time when she is trying to stay on the right side of the line at home.

Reply 17

No Face

Myopic propagation of the myths surrounding the Labour party, disappointed that she would buy into this smear. Corbyn is not an anti-semite, the furore over Chris Williamson's comments was almost hilarious, Labour has been "too apologetic" as they've bought into a right-wing ploy by granting this talking point so much attention. What most of the Labour MPs have been accused of is nothing more than what Ilhan Omar, member of "the squad" along with AOC, was accused of, also wrongfully by the neoliberal pro-Israel contingent in Washington.