Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was escorted away from a pro-abortion protest outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, and it looked like she was pretending to be handcuffed. Social media made fun of her, and over a dozen members of Congress were arrested at the same time.
Tuesday was the day of the protest, and several lawmakers were there. Some of them were even arrested.
A video that has gone viral shows an officer leading a lawmaker from New York out of the Supreme Court while a woman shouts, "Abortion rights are under attack!" Ocasio-Cortez walks with her hands behind her back, which makes it look like she is handcuffed. She then puts her hand in the air to show that there are no handcuffs.
The stunt generated a wave of mockery across social media.
“That’s because she’s a performer, not a Congresswoman…” one user wrote.
One user called her a fake, and another said, "Almost as good as her fake crying at that random fence in Arizona."
Authorities say that 16 U.S. lawmakers were actually arrested. Ocasio-Cortez shared a tweet from Axios reporter Andrew Solender, who said that Ocasio-Cortez was among those arrested.
Other people were, too.
“This is Congresswoman Adams’ staff. She was just arrested protesting for abortion rights and reproductive justice at the Supreme Court. More information as it develops,” the staff for Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) posted to her Twitter account on Tuesday:
This is Congresswoman Adams’ staff. She was just arrested protesting for abortion rights and reproductive justice at the Supreme Court. More information as it develops. pic.twitter.com/Z8Ioi8D7Og
— Rep. Alma Adams (@RepAdams) July 19, 2022
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was reportedly arrested as well. This news coincides with Capitol Police actively warning demonstrators that arrests would be made if they continued to block traffic:
Today I was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow Members of Congress outside the Supreme Court.
I will continue to do everything in my power to raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights! ✊🏽pic.twitter.com/rpFYOGBDf4
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 19, 2022
“Demonstrators are starting to block First Street, NE. It is against the law to block traffic, so officers are going to give our standard three warnings before they start making arrests,” Capitol Police posted to social media around 1:18 p.m. Eastern, later adding that “some of the demonstrators are refusing to get out of the street, so we are starting to make arrests”:
We have already given our standard three warnings.
Some of the demonstrators are refusing to get out of the street, so we are starting to make arrests.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) July 19, 2022
According to an update, police made 34 arrests “for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22–1307).” Almost half of those arrests were members of Congress:
UPDATE: We made a total of 34 arrests for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22–1307).
That arrest number includes 16 Members of Congress.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) July 19, 2022
The protest comes weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sending rules and restrictions on abortions back to the states.
The Capitol Police later issued a correction:
Correction: We made a total of 35 arrests for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22–1307).
That arrest number includes 17 Members of Congress.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) July 19, 2022
