9/11 families push to ban Mamdani from 25th anniversary remembrance over 'hostile' record

What the report says

Fox News reported that several relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks have launched a Change.org petition asking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to reconsider allowing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to attend the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony in Lower Manhattan. The article identifies Giovanni Galante, whose wife Grace died on 9/11, as an organizer and says the petition argues Mamdani’s record and associations could conflict with the ceremony’s purpose as a day of mourning.

According to Fox, the petition criticizes Mamdani over what it describes as reluctance to clearly reject the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and cites his campaign appearance at the At-Taqwa mosque of imam Siraj Wahhaj. The report also notes the families’ objections to writings by Mamdani’s father, Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani, and to political candidates Mamdani has supported who the petitioners view as hostile to American symbols or institutions. These are presented in the article as concerns raised by the petitioners and critics, not findings by the memorial museum.

Fox said it contacted both Mamdani and his father for comment. The mayor did not immediately respond to that request, but the report says he told a reporter at a separate press conference that he still planned to attend and honor families, survivors and first responders affected by the attacks.

The article adds that the memorial museum has sought to keep the annual commemoration nonpartisan. The dispute matters because the ceremony is one of New York’s most solemn civic events, and elected officials’ attendance can become politically sensitive for families who view the day primarily as a private remembrance.