US Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was sexually harassed by a comedian on the steps of the US Capitol last Wednesday.
Young politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was on her way to work when a man stopped in front of the Congress building in Washington D.C. waiting for her and bothering her. He films himself in selfie mode, points to AOC with a smile and calls out “See, my favorite big booty latina, I love you! She wants to kill babies, but she’s still beautiful!” – so first talks about her body without being asked and then accuses her of wanting to kill babies – an allusion to AOC’s position in the abortion debate.
Sexual harassment: AOC is filming, the police are silent
Immediately after the incident, AOC reported to its nine million followers via Instagram story. Meanwhile, the man in the background smiles and waves at the camera. “One waits in vain for protection or support here,” AOC criticizes the congress in a short video.
A police officer is said to have been in the immediate vicinity when she was harassed, but did not react, summarizes AOC. According to the TV broadcaster Bloomberg, employees of her party had to contact the responsible police department several times in order to finally get information about the man.
The perpetrator is comedian and conservative social media activist Alex Stein. For his YouTube clips, he regularly stalks politicians or gives surprise satirical speeches in the local parliament. He also later posted his current attack on AOC on YouTube. Most recently, he attended a “My Body, My Choice” demonstration in Dallas, Texas, where he criticized women who opposed the new US abortion law.
Police responded to the incident the next day, calling the man’s comments “non-criminal”. According to the officials, AOC was neither threatened nor touched by the perpetrator.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Men, I want to hear from you”
Women in particular are often victims of sexual harassment in public spaces or on the internet. A well-known term for this is catcalling – sexual harassment by calling or whistling. AOC also finds the incident so important because “this type of behavior” often escalates and “is accompanied by domestic violence, stalking and assault”.
In a survey, she wanted to know from her male followers how “good men” would react in such situations and how they would protect women. Many responded that they would try not to ignore such misogynistic attacks. Because “standing up for what’s right never makes you look stupid,” commented one user.
Sources: Twitter/@AOC, Bloomberg
