9/11 Families Demand Mamdani Be Banned From Ground Zero’s 25th Anniversary Ceremony

Families of victims murdered in the September 11 terrorist attacks are mounting a campaign to prevent New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from attending next year’s 25th anniversary commemoration at Ground Zero, arguing that his record on Israel, Islamist extremism, and past political associations makes him unfit to participate in what they call one of the nation’s most sacred memorial events.

According to the New York Post, a Change.org petition is being circulated by relatives of 9/11 victims urging organizers to exclude the first-term mayor from the Sept. 11, 2026 ceremony. The petition describes Mamdani as an “unwelcome guest.”

The effort is being led by a coalition that includes real estate agent Charles Galante and Cheri Sparacio, whose husband, Thomas, was murdered in the World Trade Center attacks.

Petition organizers say they plan to lobby elected officials as well as the nonprofit National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which oversees the annual ceremony at Ground Zero, in hopes of preventing Mamdani from attending.

According to the petition, supporters object to Mamdani’s refusal during last year’s mayoral campaign to repudiate the slogan “globalize the intifada.” They also cite his appearance alongside Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj during the campaign and his appointment of civil rights attorney Ramzi Kassem as chief counsel at City Hall.

Kassem previously represented detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.

The petition also points to Mamdani’s endorsements of Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates Aber Kawas and Darializa Avila Chevalier, along with past social media posts in which he discussed radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

“This day is sacred to us,” Galante told the Post, adding that the ceremony “is not a platform for those connected to such views.”

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum responded by saying it does not determine attendance based on an elected official’s political views.

Museum spokeswoman Julie Wood noted that every sitting president, governor, and mayor has attended the annual ceremony since 2001 and that elected officials are seated in a designated area without delivering speeches.

That policy was adopted following earlier controversies surrounding political remarks at the memorial and is intended to preserve the ceremony as a solemn act of remembrance rather than a political event.

Monica Iken-Murphy, a founding trustee of the museum whose husband, Michael, was killed on September 11, signed the petition but told the Post that her position is not rooted in disagreement with Mamdani’s political beliefs.

Instead, she said the landmark 25th anniversary should be reserved for public officials who played direct roles in the city’s recovery after the attacks, including former mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani, former Sen. Hillary Clinton, and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, whose business was destroyed on 9/11.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has participated in multiple September 11-related events since taking office in January, including a wreath-laying ceremony with King Charles III in April and a memorial visit alongside the city’s fire commissioner in May.

Queens Council Member Joann Ariola told the Post she is prepared to assist petition organizers in bringing their concerns before the City Council.

Despite the growing campaign, the petition is unlikely to alter the mayor’s attendance. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum controls the official guest list, and under its longstanding policy, every sitting mayor is invited to attend. Unless that policy changes, Mamdani is expected to be seated with other elected officials at the Sept. 11 ceremony regardless of how many signatures the petition ultimately receives.

{Matzav.com}