Mamdani Stands Firm on 9/11 Memorial Attendance Despite 110,000-Signature Protest
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend Friday's 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero, rejecting calls from victims' families, former Governor George Pataki, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to stay away. A petition with roughly 110,000 signatures urges him to skip the ceremony over his appointment of Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who once defended an al Qaeda operative.
The invitation-only event, hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, begins at 8:30 a.m. Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush are also expected to attend.
Why are 9/11 victims' families asking Mamdani to skip the ceremony?
The petition, launched by relatives of 9/11 victims, cites Mamdani's appointment of Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges.
For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony, it is a deeply personal day of mourning. The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain, the petition reads.
The petition adds that the 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day.
What sparked the latest controversy around the mayor?
Tensions escalated after Mamdani handed a ceremonial pen used to sign 9/11-related executive orders to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, asking her to pass it to Kassem. Critics on social media called the gesture a slap in the face to victims' families.
Pataki and Giuliani, both Republicans, have publicly echoed the calls for Mamdani to stay away. Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he's coming, Giuliani said.
How has Mamdani responded to the criticism?
The mayor has defended his decision to attend, emphasizing the day's focus on families and first responders. I'm proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country. And what I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11, and a focus also on the first responders who gave everything they could to this city and to the people who came together to try and help their fellow New Yorkers, Mamdani said.
Beyond the Kassem appointment, critics have pointed to Mamdani's past failure to denounce the phrase globalize the intifada, his praise for an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and his continued association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America deserved 9/11. Mamdani has since called Piker's comments objectionable and reprehensible, and said he would discourage people from using the intifada phrase.
What happens next?
The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The ceremony will proceed as planned, with Mamdani among the dignitaries in attendance, despite the ongoing controversy.
Photo: Yahoo