A number of 9/11 mourners and Ground Zero memorial attendees had harsh words for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) were caught laughing during the ceremony.
Walter Matuza, whose father was among those killed in the North Tower while working at Carr Futures, told Fox News that Mamdani’s appearance “does bother us.” Matuza participated in a petition organized by some victims’ families that asked the mayor not to attend.
He pointed to Mamdani’s associations and his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as chief counsel as a chief point of contention. Kassem previously represented a Guantanamo detainee connected to an al-Qaeda plot, who was the brother of one of the 9/11 hijackers.
A mourner identified only as Steven, who traveled from Hobe Sound, Florida, called the mayor’s attendance “disrespectful” and “very offensive.” He said that while the mayor has a right to attend as an elected official, “who he represents and the people he’s affiliated with” led him to believe Mamdani should have stayed away.
“I don’t feel that his presence here is wanted,” Steven said. He also described Kassem’s appointment as “hideous.”
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MAGA Republicans Demand NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Resign After Video Shows Him Laughing During 9/11 Memorial pic.twitter.com/5eTXwBIKa6
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Mike, a former New Jersey police officer who assisted in Manhattan after the attacks, said that based on Mamdani’s past rhetoric, “he probably should have skipped it.” Another attendee called Mamdani a “communist” and said the memorial “is not supposed to be a political event.”
A petition, which was launched by relatives including Giovanni Galante, whose wife died in the attacks, gathered more than 110,000 signatures. Organizers said the ceremony should remain focused on remembrance and an unambiguous rejection of the violence of that day. They cited Mamdani’s associations with commentator Hasan Piker, who once said the United States “deserved 9/11” as well as other statements and appointments they viewed as conflicting with the event’s purpose.
Former New York Governor George Pataki and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had also publicly urged Mamdani not to attend. Giuliani said the mayor’s presence “offends” him.
Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, said he would attend to honor victims’ families and first responders. In public remarks he described the attacks as a “horrific act of terror” that killed 2,753 New Yorkers. “What I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them,” he said. He remained for the full reading of nearly 3,000 names and stayed afterward to speak with families.
Before the ceremony began, Mamdani approached Giuliani and the two shook hands. Giuliani was reported to have told Mamdani he would pray for him and that the job is difficult.
The invitation-only event, which was hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, included family members reading names, moments of silence, and attendance by Vice President JD Vance and four former presidents.
