NYC councilwoman blasts Mamdani over Italian Heritage Month post praising ‘communist’

Queens Mayor’s Italian Heritage tribute to Vito Marcantonio sparks criticism

In a post on X to mark Italian Heritage Month, Queens Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the legacy of former congressman Vito Marcantonio, describing him as a champion of “a government that works for all working people.” Mamdani’s tweet referenced Marcantonio’s long tenure representing East Harlem in Congress—seven terms that spanned his switch from the Republican Party to the left‑wing American Labor Party.

Marcantonio, an Italian‑American, was known for opposing U.S. involvement in the Korean War and for providing legal work to the Communist Party of the United States. His activities drew attention from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which kept files on him during the Cold War.

Queens City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino quickly responded on X, labeling Marcantonio an “obscure Italian‑American communist” and accusing the mayor of promoting “communist propaganda.” Paladino said, “Of all the great men and women of Italian descent who have contributed to New York City and the United States, this is the idiot he picks.” She added that Mamdani’s choice of tribute made her “physically incapable of being anything other than a loathsome propagandist for communism.”

Paladino contrasted Mamdani’s post with her own family’s immigrant history, writing that her father fought in World War II against Italian forces under Benito Mussolini, and her mother raised five children while working in a button factory. “We wanted to become Americans, and our people were proud to learn the language and wave the American flag,” she said. “That’s what being an Italian‑American in New York means,” Paladino added, concluding that Mamdani’s tribute represented “communist propaganda.”

The mayor’s office has not yet replied to a request for comment.