AOC is mocked after calling for progressives to 'pull up to the South' while lecturing from behind bulletproof glass

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:37, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 18:40, 24 May 2026 New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been mocked for calling on progressives to 'pull up to the South' while standing behind bulletproof glass.  The Democrat, widely known as AOC, was slammed by conservatives after she delivered a passionate speech at the All Roads Lead to the South voting rights rally in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 16.  While on stage at the Alabama State Capitol, AOC was boxed in by clear bulletproof glass as she urged 'the North' to make their way to red states to fight to protect Democrats and black leaders after the Supreme Court limited the 1965 Voting Rights Act.  The court handed Louisiana Republicans the power to redraw the congressional map and dismantle a majority-black district before the November midterms on April 29. About 15 other states are involved in the redistricting process.   'I am here today because I want to make sure that we all understand that Montgomery is not alone, that you all are not alone,' AOC said to the crowd.  'And for all of you watching today, when they ask what do you do in this moment? I feel helpless. What action can I take? It is time for the north to pull up to the south! It is time for New York to pull up to Alabama,' the politician said as people cheered her on.  'It is time for all of us to come to Georgia, to Louisiana, to Tennessee, to Mississippi, and let them know exactly what they have uncorked with this injustice,' she continued.  While the crowd seemed thrilled by her words, many republicans called her out for urging people to 'pull up' while standing behind the protective glass.  New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood behind bulletproof glass while on stage at a rally in Alabama, calling on people of 'the North' to 'pull up' and fight to protect Democrats and black leaders amid the redistricting controversy   She was slammed by conservatives in the south after she delivered a passionate speech at the 'All Roads Lead to the South' voting rights rally in Montgomery, Alabama, on May 16 Todd Spears, a conservative content creator and co-host of the Dear America Podcast, shared a snippet of her speech to his nearly 30,000 TikTok followers and bashed her for being behind 'Pope glass.'  '[Pull up] and do what? Help us get the boat off the trailer, like cut the grass, track a deer in the woods?,' Spears said.  'Roll up and do what exactly? Because you're standing behind, like, Pope glass in your hometown. You come down here starting that sh**, you better bring a tank. That's not a good idea. You stay where you're at.'  AOC was speaking in front of a crowd in Alabama, not in New York, where she is from.  Spears captioned his post: 'AOC talking about the North “rolling up” on the South and Alabama like this is still the 1860s is wild. 'Maybe politicians should spend less time trying to divide Americans and more time fixing the mess we already have. Because when people keep pushing division, nobody wins.' His post attracted one million views and more than 6,000 comments, with many people siding with Spears.  'Why you behind the glass tho,' someone wrote.  'And what is she calling for exactly,' another posted.  Another user wrote: 'The libs are giving the illusion that they are the ones in danger when they are the ones pulling trigs.'  'I like the plexiglass prop. It's cute,' someone else quipped.  Other users, who are from 'the North' declined AOC's invite to show up in Alabama.  'On behalf of the people of new jersey, we would like to decline this request,' one wrote.  'As someone who just moved to Alabama from the north, I don’t recommend this,' said another.  US Senator Cory Booker also spoke at the rally in Alabama.  US Senator Cory Booker joined AOC in Alabama during the National Day of Action: All Roads Lead to the South rally 'This is one of those moments where we understand that our blessings come with obligation. There is no liberation without obligation,' the liberal leader said.  'Because if we, in our generation, do not now do our duty, we will lose the gains and the rights and the liberties that our ancestors afforded us.'  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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