New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday he will attend the 25th anniversary 9/11 remembrance ceremony this September, defying an online petition from families of victims who have asked organizers to bar him from the solemn event.
The Change.org petition, launched by Giovanni Galante—whose girlfriend Grace Catherine Galante was killed on the 105th floor of the north tower—has garnered over 16,000 signatures from relatives of 9/11 victims. The families argue that Mamdani’s public positions and associations are incompatible with the ceremony’s purpose of honoring those lost in the attacks.
“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration,” Mamdani said at a news conference, according to the Washington Examiner. He added that the city would “never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home, and frankly by all of us who call this country home.”
The petition cites several specific concerns about Mamdani’s record. Families point to his reluctance to “clearly and unequivocally condemn” the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many interpret as endorsing violence, according to the Jerusalem Post. The petition also references his associations with Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel—Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who was convicted in an al-Qaeda tanker bombing plot.
The petition further notes that Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, published a book shortly after 9/11 in which he argued that suicide bombers should be “understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.” Mamdani has said his father has been influential in shaping his views, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Monica Iken Murphy, who lost her 37-year-old husband Michael on the 84th floor of the south tower, expressed the families’ sentiment in CBS News coverage: “For me, myself, I feel anyone who attends this 25th pivotal anniversary for us, we just want a little time for ourselves, and we don’t want someone just coming in, who just came into office, who really wasn’t there.”
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum said in a statement that it has “intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics” and that “government officials from across the political spectrum have attended the ceremony simply to bear witness.” The museum added that politicians are not asked to deliver remarks and are assigned to a designated area, according to CBS News.
Mamdani, who was sworn in as NYC mayor on January 1, 2026, is the first socialist to lead the city in decades. His mayoral campaign drew scrutiny over his positions on Israel and his associations with figures critics say have made anti-American statements. Despite the petition and the families’ concerns, Mamdani has indicated he intends to participate in the ceremony, which takes place annually on September 11.
Sources
- CBS News New York — Petition details, Mamdani’s statement, 9/11 Memorial & Museum policy, and victim family commentary
- USA Today — Petition signature count (13,900+) and Mamdani’s public response
- Washington Examiner — Mamdani’s full statement at news conference
- The Jerusalem Post — Detailed petition concerns, Mamdani’s father’s writings, and Imam Siraj Wahhaj background
- New York Post — Giovanni Galante as petition organizer and victim family member identification
