Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezReuters

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called the firing of former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill over comments he made regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict an example of cancel culture against the left in and interview with The New Yorker’s David Remnick published on Monday.

“​​You talk about cancel culture,” Ocasio-Cortez told Remnick. “But notice that those discussions only go one way. We don’t talk about all the people who were fired. You just kind of talk about, like, right-leaning podcast bros and more conservative figures. But, for example, Marc Lamont Hill was fired [from CNN] for discussing an issue with respect to Palestinians, pretty summarily. There was no discussion about it, no engagement, no thoughtful discourse over it, just pure accusation.”

Lamont Hill was fired from CNN in 2018 over a speech he gave at the United Nations in which he endorsed violence against Israelis and called for "a free Palestine from the river to the sea," an expression which has often been used to refer to the complete destruction of the State of Israel.

"Contrary to western mythology, black resistance to American apartheid was not" purely nonviolent, Lamont Hill said during his speech, which was first reported by Israel National News. "Tactics otherwise divergent from Dr. King or Gandhi were equally important to preserving safety and attaining freedom. If we are in true solidarity, we must allow them the same range of opportunity and political possibility. We must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend themselves. We must prioritize peace, but we must not romanticize or fetishize it. We must promote non violence at every opportunity, but cannot endorse narrow politics that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in ethnic cleansing."

CNNfired Lamont Hill the day after his speech.

Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez called Whoopi Godlberg’s suspension over controversial Holocaust comments unnecessary, given that Goldberg had already been forgiven by the head of the ADL.

“I think whenever there’s a learning moment like this, what’s super important is the relationship between that person and the community they’re making amends with,” Ocasio-Cortez told TMZ.

“Last I read Jonathan Greenblatt who is the head of the Anti-Defamation League…he accepted her apology,” she added.