Nearly 100,000 people have signed a petition asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip Friday’s 9/11 memorial.
Relatives of victims killed in the September 11 attacks gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday to deliver that petition directly. They want Mamdani to stay away from the Ground Zero ceremony marking 25 years since the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.
Charles Wolf, whose wife died that day, was blunt. “This mayor is not serving us,” he said. “He’s serving himself.” Wolf drew a clear distinction between Mamdani and other politicians planning to attend, saying those officials helped pass meaningful legislation and offered real support to grieving families. Mamdani, Wolf argued, has shown none of that. “Mayor Mamdani, please do not come,” he said.
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Giovanni Galante organized the effort. He lost his 29-year-old wife, Grace, in the World Trade Center attack. Galante and other relatives have been careful to state that their objection has nothing to do with the mayor’s Muslim faith. Their concerns are rooted in his political record and his refusal to clearly distance himself from figures and rhetoric they view as hostile to the United States.
As originally reported, the dispute centers on several specific issues. Mamdani has declined to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Critics have also raised his relationship with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved” the September 11 attacks. His appearance alongside Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj drew further scrutiny. Federal prosecutors previously named Wahhaj as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Mamdani has not indicated any intention to step aside. He confirmed Monday that he plans to attend the main ceremony and multiple other events on Friday. His office has said he intends to stand with those forever affected by the attacks and reaffirm that the nation will never forget.
Several family members say they will turn their backs on the mayor or refuse to interact with him if he shows up. Galante made clear there are no plans for a physical confrontation, but many will express their opposition through deliberate silence.
Angie Pesce, whose brother Danny was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed in the North Tower, accused Mamdani of attending out of spite. Maureen Santora, who lost her 23-year-old firefighter son Christopher in the South Tower, said she hopes the mayor does not speak at the service.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led New York through the aftermath of the attacks, has also urged Mamdani to stay away, saying the planned attendance offends him.
Not everyone shares that view. Governor Kathy Hochul defended Mamdani’s right to attend, arguing his absence would offend many other families. The group September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows has backed the mayor and accused opponents of politicizing the ceremony.
Days before the anniversary, Mamdani signed executive orders establishing September 11 as an annual Day of Remembrance and Service and creating a task force on emergency preparedness. Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who joined the City Hall rally, dismissed both moves as political theater that arrived only after public pressure mounted.
Friday’s ceremony will honor the 2,977 people killed in New York, at the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, through a reading of victims’ names and moments of silence.
