As New York prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a fierce political and public controversy has erupted over Mayor Zohran Mamdani's planned attendance at official memorial ceremonies. Prominent figures including Rudy Giuliani, who led the city during the 2001 attacks, and former Governor George Pataki are publicly calling on Mamdani to stay away from the event. Their objections center on allegations that the mayor has maintained connections with individuals expressing extreme anti-American positions and has made statements perceived as supporting violence.
An online petition demanding his absence has gathered nearly 100,000 signatures, including from families who lost loved ones in the attacks.
Giuliani, who served as New York's mayor during the Twin Towers attacks and earned the nickname "America's Mayor," has emerged as the leading voice in recent days opposing Mamdani's participation. In an interview with Newsmax, he slammed the mayor's intention to attend the ceremony, stating unequivocally that Mamdani should cancel his appearance because his very presence at the site is personally offensive to him.
Giuliani explained that the ceremony is intended for bereaved families and the broader American public to connect with this historical memory. As someone who lost close friends in the attacks and maintains ongoing contact with victims' families, he said, the fact that Mamdani plans to attend is deeply disturbing and insulting to him.
In his pointed remarks, he claimed that Mamdani does not accept the historical determination that the September 11 attacks were an Islamic terrorist assault against the United States. He further accused Mamdani of alleged involvement in what he described as a global Islamic conspiracy to gain control over the West, warning that many Americans are falling prey to Islamic propaganda, which he claimed is leading to takeover of various regions in the United States and Europe. The former mayor went so far as to compare Mamdani to attack mastermind Osama bin Laden, arguing that while bin Laden was open about his hatred for America, Mamdani is attempting to disguise it.
