Families of 9/11 victims and first responders have called on New York City’s Muslim immigrant mayor to skip the attacks’ memorial ceremony, citing his lack of support for their community.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A coalition of 9/11 family members, first responders, and elected officials have publicly asked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) not to attend this year’s September 11 memorial service. 📺 DETAIL: On Tuesday, during an event outside City Hall, 9/11 family members pleaded for the Mayor to abstain from attending the upcoming 25th anniversary commemoration service of the 9/11 attacks. “We don’t believe in what he believes in, and we really want us to be left alone… This 25th anniversary is for victims and survivors to blend in and pray that day for all the families—not have a circus around us,” said Giovanni Galante, whose wife was killed on 9/11. “If we feel that we don’t want someone at our world-class memorial museum that’s sacred and hallowed, we feel that that person should respect our wishes… He didn’t go to the 20th … so I don’t know why he’s so adamant about going to this one when we just ask that he just respect us from 7 to 11 and let us have our mourning,” said Monica Iken, whose husband was killed on 9/11. The event was attended by New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino (R), who announced the coalition’s intention to deliver a petition with 101,000 signatures to City Hall ahead of the service on Friday. “I am demanding that he not show his face at that sacred ground… He does not belong there… We the people do not care for Zohran Mamdani—101,000 names is not a drop in the bucket. Do not, Zohran Mamdani, take us New Yorkers for granted. We were there that day. The sky looked very similar to this. Stay put. Stay in City Hall and promote your propaganda,” said Paladino. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “This mayor is not serving us… He’s serving himself. We are asking respectfully that he not show up… Even though there is going to be other politicians there, these are the politicians that helped us push beneficial laws through and literally held our hand during that time… Mayor Mamdani has not shown any of that, none of it. He just wants to be there because he wants to be there… So we are asking him to respect the fact that that trauma is revived during the ceremony. It is a private ceremony. It is not a public ceremony. Mayor Mamdani, please do not come,” said Charles Wolf, who lost his wife on 9/11. 🎯 IMPACT: The coalition has clarified that other politicians who have supported 9/11-related legislation and personally supported the victims’ families are welcome at the ceremony. This response shows that a sizeable portion of 9/11 families and others affected by the attacks do not believe that Mayor Mamdani supports them. The Twelver Muslim mayor, originally from Uganda, has made several comments and decisions in the past that have alienated survivors and victims of 9/11, from bemoaning the so-called “Islamophobia” after 9/11 to appointing lawyer Ramzi Kassem as Chief Counsel, after he previously stated that the attacks reflected “the resentment these terrorists felt,” and “the legacy of 9/11 ought to be recounted primarily through the stories of Muslims.” |
🚨 JUST IN: In a powerful moment, a group of 9/11 families just gathered at NYC City Hall calling on Mayor Mamdani to STAY FAR AWAY from the Ground Zero event
She just WENT OFF: “Stay PUT, stay in City Hall and promote your PROPAGANDA!” 💯
“We the people do NOT care for Zohran… pic.twitter.com/8VzG2q7zy2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 8, 2026
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.
show less
