--- title: "Ocasio-Cortez event features 'river to the sea' chant" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-28T12:46:03.336Z" source_reported: "2026-09-28T12:10:08.908Z" updated: "2026-09-28T12:46:03.336Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-28T13:41:56.285Z" --- # Ocasio-Cortez event features 'river to the sea' chant *Student activists led chants at a Democratic campaign event where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting is corroborated by two independent outlets, with claims attributed to named individuals and organizations. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from affected individuals and names specific dates, places, and figures. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines use loaded adjectives like 'notorious' and 'hate-filled' to describe the event. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at a Democratic campaign event at Cornell University. - Student organisers led attendees in chants of 'from the river to the sea' and 'long live the student intifada'. - The slogan 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' has been condemned as antisemitic by a majority of the US House of Representatives. - Governor Kathy Hochul's planned appearance with Ocasio-Cortez was cancelled due to a nor'easter. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at a Democratic campaign event at Cornell University on Sunday. The event, titled 'Students vs. Billionaires', was organised by Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America and More Perfect University. Approximately 2,000 people attended the town hall in Ithaca, New York. Before Ocasio-Cortez took the stage, Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America co-chairs Mina Petrova and Zoe Reisman led attendees in chants of 'from the river to the sea' and 'long live the student intifada'. Petrova stated that Cornell is a capitalist institution prioritising profit over students and community, and is controlled by trustees profiting from genocide and war. Ocasio-Cortez spoke about issues including free speech for student protesters and workers forming unions. She has been travelling upstate New York to build support for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. ## Disagreement on event purpose Internewscast reported the event was intended to build support for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. The New York Post described the event as meant to 'gin up support for Democrats ahead of the midterms'. NewsFinale stated that student activists welcomed Ocasio-Cortez with chants focused on Palestinian rights as her campaign worked to build enthusiasm for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also criticised Cornell University over efforts to restrict student protesters' free speech, a detail included in the centre-rated report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 22% (2) - Right: 78% (7) 1 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-28T13:41:56.285Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-28T16:30:13.766Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - Internewscast led with the crowd chanting 'From the River to the Sea' at an event for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The report stated that the Democratic congresswoman received a 'raucous welcome' from left-wing student activists who led anti-Israel chants. It noted that the slogan has been condemned as antisemitic by a majority of the US House of Representatives and that Ocasio-Cortez voted against a resolution declaring the slogan hateful. The report also mentioned that Governor Kathy Hochul's office stated her planned appearance with Ocasio-Cortez was cancelled due to a nor'easter. ### Right - Six right-rated reports focused on the chanting of the slogan 'from the river to the sea' at the event. Headlines from wfmd.com, capitalisminstitute.org, nytimespost.com, democraticaccent.com, and Fox News described the chant as 'notorious' or 'deemed antisemitic'. The New York Post described the welcome as 'hate-filled'. These reports noted that Cornell University Young Democratic Socialists of America co-chairs Mina Petrova and Zoe Reisman led the crowd in the chants. They also mentioned that Ocasio-Cortez voted against a 2024 House resolution declaring the slogan hateful and that Governor Kathy Hochul's office stated her planned appearance was cancelled due to a nor'easter. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - mixed: 7 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/aocs-ivy-league-warmup-act-leads-democratic-socialists-in-notorious-anti-israel-chant) — AOC's Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant - [Next News Network](https://nextnewsnetwork.com/2026/09/28/aocs-cornell-warmup-socialist-student-leaders-chant-from-the-river-to-the-sea-be-mul8bcdp) — AOC'S CORNELL WARMUP: Socialist Student Leaders Chant 'From the River to the Sea' Before Congresswoman Takes Stage - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/28/aocs-ivy-league-warmup-act-leads-democratic-socialists-in-notorious-anti-israel-chant) — AOC’s Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant - [capitalisminstitute.org](https://capitalisminstitute.org/college-socialists-lead-from-the-river-to-the-sea-chant-at-aoc-midterm-turnout-rally-in-ithaca) — AOC Rally Features 'River to Sea' Chant Deemed Antisemitic - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/aocs-ivy-league-warmup-act-leads-democratic-socialists-in-notorious-anti-israel-chant) — AOC's Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/aocs-ivy-league-warmup-act-leads-democratic-socialists-in-notorious-anti-israel-chant) — AOC's Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/aoc-ivy-league-warmup-act-leads-democratic-socialists-notorious-anti-israel-chant) — AOC's Ivy League warmup act leads democratic socialists in notorious anti-Israel chant - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/us/crowd-sings-from-the-river-to-the-sea-at-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-event-promoting-democrats-ahead-of-midterms) — Crowd Sings ‘From the River to the Sea’ at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Event Promoting Democrats Ahead of Midterms - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/crowd-chants-from-the-river-to-the-sea-at-aoc-event-backing-democrats-ahead-of-midterms) — Crowd Chants ‘From the River to the Sea’ at AOC Event Backing Democrats Ahead of Midterms - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/09/27/us-news/crowd-sings-from-the-river-to-the-sea-at-aoc-event-promoting-dems-ahead-of-midterms) — Crowd sings ‘from the river to the sea’ at AOC’s college student event promoting Dems ahead of midterms ## Questions **What happened at the event featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?** At a Democratic campaign event at Cornell University, student organisers led attendees in chants of 'from the river to the sea' and 'long live the student intifada'. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at the event. **What is the slogan 'from the river to the sea'?** The slogan 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. It has been condemned as antisemitic by a majority of the US House of Representatives, with critics arguing it calls for the elimination of Israel. **Did Governor Kathy Hochul attend the event?** Governor Kathy Hochul's office stated that her planned appearance with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Cornell University event was cancelled. The cancellation was attributed to a nor'easter affecting New York City. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Ocasio-Cortez event features 'river to the sea' chant", https://mediabias.news/politics/ocasio-cortez-event-features-river-to-the-sea-chant