Families of 9/11 victims seek to ban Mamdani from Ground Zero ceremony
Families of 9/11 victims are demanding New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani be barred from the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero, citing his alleged ties to terrorism apologists.
According to Rich Calder writing in New York Post, Giovanni Galante, whose 29-year-old wife Grace Catherine Galante was among the 2,977 innocents killed by al-Qaeda terrorists, has organized a petition drive that has already collected over 1,100 signatures in just over a week, including from at least 300 victims’ families.
The petition raises serious concerns about the mayor’s public record, particularly his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day and his connections to individuals who have minimized the attacks, defended terrorists, or suggested America deserved the assault on its soil.
Galante, a 55-year-old Brooklyn-born real estate agent now living in Florida, stated that the anniversary day is sacred to the families and should not serve as a political platform for those connected to such views. He described Mamdani’s potential presence as deeply hurtful and inappropriate, comparing it to an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony.
The petition organizers are working to gather enough signatures to convince local lawmakers and the nonprofit 9/11 Memorial & Museum to prevent Mamdani from attending the silver-anniversary ceremony planned for the former Twin Towers site in Lower Manhattan.
Troubling Associations and Appointments
The petition posted on Change.org outlines numerous concerns about Mamdani, who is the city’s first Muslim mayor and has prominently promoted his religion since taking office in January.
Among the most serious allegations is Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the “globalize the intifada” rallying cry, which calls for violence against Jewish people. The mayor also campaigned alongside Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a notorious Brooklyn imam who has expressed hatred toward homosexuals and once urged followers to participate in gun-free jihad and march through New York City. Wahhaj was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Mamdani appointed Ramzi Kassem as the city’s chief counsel, despite Kassem’s record of defending Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaeda terrorist who pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb a French oil tanker in 2002, and Mahmoud Khalil, the radical organizer of the 2024 anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
Endorsements of Radical Figures
The mayor has endorsed fellow Democratic Socialist of America member Aber Kawas for a state Senate seat, despite her once describing 9/11 as something “a couple of people did” and expressing sympathy for Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty in 2012 to plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue.
Mamdani also backed Darializa Avila Chevalier for Congress, calling the DSA insurgent the perfect candidate despite her radical past, which includes calling the United States a disgrace and boasting that she desecrated the American flag by using it to wipe her hands.
Resurfaced social media posts from 2015 show Mamdani defending al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki and blaming America for turning the cleric into a terrorist. Al-Awlaki became a prominent imam at mosques in San Diego and Virginia, where he interacted with three of the 9/11 hijackers, according to U.S. officials.
The mayor’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, a chaired professor of African history and colonialism at Columbia University, has expressed sympathy for suicide bombers.
Sacred Ground Must Remain Apolitical
The petition argues that the 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day. It asks organizers to carefully consider whether Mamdani’s participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy.
Organizer Cheri Sparacio, whose 35-year-old husband Thomas was killed on 9/11, said there are so many other examples of why it would be disrespectful for Mamdani to attend that they could not fit them all on the list. She cited Mamdani’s longtime association with left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, who once said America deserved the September 11 terror attacks, and the mayor’s claim that Muslims were also victims of 9/11 because it supposedly triggered a wave of Islamophobia.
Monica Iken-Murphy, whose 37-year-old husband Michael Iken was killed on 9/11 and who was a leading advocate in the creation of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, said she signed the petition but insisted it is not about Mamdani’s politics. She argued that only politicians involved in the healing process from the start should be invited to such a solemn occasion.
The mounting pressure on ceremony organizers reflects growing concern among victims’ families that the sacred commemoration of nearly 3,000 murdered Americans should not be politicized or undermined by the presence of officials who have failed to unequivocally condemn Islamic terrorism and those who apologize for it.
With information from New York Post
