More than 70,000 sign petition urging NYC mayor Mamdani to skip 9/11 commemoration

Relatives’ petition draws more than 70,000 signatures ahead of 25th anniversary

A petition urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend the 9/11 commemoration has attracted more than 70,000 backers. The petition was launched last month by relatives of the victims of the 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the Twin Towers.

Reasons cited by petitioners

The petition, according to its text, said the motion was not about the mayor’s religion but rather about his “controversial views and perceived connections to radicals.” It said the concerns stem from the mayor’s “public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric that many perceive as hostile to these shared values.”

Among the items listed by the petition were the mayor’s connections to Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj and the appointment of Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented a terrorist convicted in an Al-Qaeda tanker bombing plot. The petition also referenced the mayor’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, and his 2004 book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, quoting an argument in the book that the 9/11 attack should be “understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.” The petition noted the mayor had previously said his father had largely shaped his own views.

Mayor Mamdani’s response and planned attendance

Mayor Mamdani dismissed the petition as an attempt by some people to keep him away from the commemoration and indicated he intends to attend.

“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 reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home,” he stated.

Division among victims’ relatives

A smaller activist group of victims’ relatives, the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, defended the mayor and criticised the petitioners for alleged “anti-American accusations and Islamophobic sentiment.” The report says this dissenting group is believed to have just over 250 active members and has received more than $500,000 in grants from the Soros Foundation over the past decade.

Wider political context

The petition and the debate over the commemoration come amid heightened tensions between Mayor Mamdani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report says the feud reignited after Mamdani said Netanyahu could be arrested on war-crimes charges should he visit the city. In response, Netanyahu accused the mayor of siding with Iran and said critics of Israel displayed “moral cynicism” and “absurdity.”

Scale and setting of the commemoration

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The annual commemoration is traditionally held at the monument on the site of the former World Trade Center and is attended by senior local and federal officials.