Ocasio-Cortez Campaign Office Vandalized With Anti-Israel Message Amid Backlash Over Iron Dome Funding Vote

A New York campaign office for US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was vandalized with what appeared to be red paint resembling blood and an anti-Israel message on Sunday night, amid backlash from fellow progressives following her vote last week against an amendment aimed at blocking US funding for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

“AOC funds genocide in Gaza,” was written in red paint on the office windows, using the lawmaker’s popular nickname. The vandals also spread paint all over the building’s entrance. Police arrived at the scene early Monday morning.

A group calling itself the Boogie Down Liberation Front claimed responsibility, saying it “stands with the Palestinian people and condemns AOC’s hypocrisy.”

Overnight, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx office was vandalized. A fringe group calling itself the Boogie Down Liberation Front claimed responsibility and left behind this note:

“The Bronx is sick and tired of people like AOC and Ritchie Torres using us as a stepping… pic.twitter.com/ctwKoV0uOF

— Stu (@thestustustudio) July 21, 2025

The vandalism came after Ocasio-Cortez on Friday voted against an amendment to the US House’s defense appropriations bill that would have cut funding for the Israeli Cooperative Program — an agreement through which the US provides Israel $500 million for missile defense programs including Iron Dome, which protects against from rockets and missiles launched by neighboring terrorist groups, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The amendment was overwhelmingly defeated in the House by a vote of 422 to 6.

While Ocasio-Cortez ultimately voted against the broader appropriations bill (which ultimately passed the House), her decision not to support the stand-alone measure cutting funding to Israel’s missile defense has drawn strong criticism from fellow progressives, who argued that the left-wing lawmaker betrayed the pro-Palestinian movement.

In a post on the X social media platform, Ocasio-Cortez wrote that the amendment to the military funding bill “does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza. Of course I voted against it. What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.”

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a prominent far-left organization, repudiated AOC’s vote, accusing the congresswoman of assisting Israel carry out what it falsely described as a “genocide” in Gaza.

“Providing any aid to Israel as they carry out a genocide with US support is completely unacceptable,” DSA said in a statement. “This is even more true of military aid of any kind. Any funds that go to Israel assist this brutal genocide. Any support for Israel legitimizes its eliminationist campaign against the Palestinian people. The fact that Representative Ocasio-Cortez acknowledges that Israel is carrying out this genocide makes her support for military aid all the more disappointing and incongruous.”

DSA and Ocasio-Cortez have recently maintained a rocky relationship. Last year, the organization rescinded its endorsement of the congresswoman, citing her insufficient level of commitment to “Palestinian liberation.” The organization took umbrage with the lawmaker over her decision to co-host an event with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a Jewish organization that champions progressive policies. DSA also rebuked Ocasio-Cortez for a previous House vote which labeled “denial of Israel’s right to exist” as a form of antisemitism.

On Monday, Ocasio-Cortez took a shot at those criticizing her vote against the amendment, noting she opposed the broader appropriations bill.

“Google is free,” she posted on social media. “If you’re saying I voted for military funding, you are lying. Receipts attached. Drag me for my positions all you want, but lying about them doesn’t make you part of the ‘left.’ If you believe neo-Nazis are welcome and operating in good faith, you can have them!”