Zohran Mamdani urged to skip New York City's 9/11 memorial: 'Vile antisemite'
House Republican urges New York City mayor to skip 25th‑anniversary 9/11 memorial
By Maine News Now
WASHINGTON – On the sidelines of the 2026 Republican National Committee convention in Dallas, New York State Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from the New York City suburbs, called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to forgo attendance at this year’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony in downtown Manhattan. Lawler said the mayor’s past statements and alleged associations had “made a hostile record” that, according to him, should bar him from the memorial.
“From my perspective, I don’t think he should be there, and I think most New Yorkers agree that he should not be there,” Lawler told Fox News. “Certainly the 9/11 families and the first responders believe he should not be there.”
The mayor, elected in 2021, has been a target of criticism by Republicans and families of victims over her rhetoric and her links to groups that some allege hold extremist views. A petition organized by family members of those who died in the attacks, which has amassed more than 100,000 signatures, asks that Mamdani be barred from the ceremony.
“Mr. Mamdani has praised Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam, was named as an alleged co‑conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and served as a character witness for the ‘Blind Sheikh,’ who was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks against the United States,” the petition reads. It also cites the mayor’s support of candidates who have made controversial statements about 9/11 and extremist groups.
Lawler’s remarks came amid a broader wave of criticism that has emerged as the city’s 25th‑anniversary events approach. The mayor’s office has recently opened a portal that offers nearly 170,000 pages of local government documents related to 9/11, including records that some say show city officials misled the public about air‑quality conditions after the attacks.
In the same interview, Republican Study Committee chairman August Pfluger added that the mayor should “not attend the memorial until he can actually call out terror groups around the world for what they want to do to this country, and that includes Hamas.” Pfluger said Mamdani’s “associations are a cancer to the freedoms we fought for.”
The mayor has also faced scrutiny over her support of far‑left activist Hasan Piker, who previously made a statement in which he said the United States “deserved” the attacks. Mamdani has condemned Piker’s comment and said he did not share those views.
The 9/11 memorial ceremony, slated to be held on September 11 in the heart of Manhattan, is scheduled to coincide with the city’s 25th‑anniversary remembrance events. Organizers have not yet confirmed whether the mayor will attend. Mamdani’s office has declined to comment on the calls for her to skip the ceremony.
As the city prepares for the memorial, families of the victims, politicians, and community leaders continue to weigh in on who should be present and how best to honor the memory of the 2,977 people who lost their lives on that tragic day.