AOC, Jamaal Bowman and Ilhan Omar face lawsuit for 'inciting' anti-Israeli protests

Radical Democratic members of Congress, also part of "The Squad," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman, are facing a lawsuit filed by five college students because of their support and endorsement of the protests, many of them violent, against Israel held this year at Columbia University.

The students, two of them Jewish, filed the complaint anonymously, which, in addition to the lawmakers, includes the group Within Our Lifetime. 

'Impact on the rights of others was the point of the protest'

The lawsuit alleges that the protesters and those who supported them "not only consciously disregarded the rights of others, but the impact on the rights of others was the point of the protest." They also blame them for allegedly "inciting and encouraging" violent protests and the creation of "the Gaza Encampment" on campus.

The students explained, "The Gaza Encampment was extreme and outrageous conduct. It was illegal. It violated university rules. Its occupants harassed, followed, physically blocked, intimidated, and bullied Jewish students. ... the more disruption [they] could cause for the University and the [students], the more leverage they thought they would have for their agenda." 

The lawsuit also reads, "In a civilized community, one does not call for the obliteration of a major metropolitan area, praise terrorists, or threaten death and destruction upon our classmates and their families, friends, and coreligionists"

Police involvement was 'a nightmare in the making'

The three defendants criticized law enforcement for storming the violent demonstrations that took place on campus. They also ended up attending the campus in April "and participating in the encampment" even when access to the campus was only allowed to those with student IDs, according to the lawsuit. 

Ocasio-Cortez was among those who criticized the police's decision to intervene in the protest. "If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ[ersity] presidents," she said. She also called the involvement of law enforcement "a nightmare in the making."

One of the Jewish students who filed the lawsuit explained to The New York Post, "During the protests, I witnessed numerous offensive and antisemitic signs and messages, including antisemitic skunk posters with the Star of David." Another student noted that he had "felt like he was living under an ominous cloud of doubt and uncertainty as he waited for the protestors or administration’s next move that would further impact his studies and life on campus."