Many of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s supporters are highly displeased with him for attending an Israelis for Peace vigil marking the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks that left over a thousand in Israel dead. Pro-Palestinian protesters displayed their displeasure by calling him a “traitor.”
Over a hundred demonstrators conducted a march from City Hall to Union Square, where the vigil was being held to mourn those who lost their lives in the heinous attack and inhumane bloodshed that followed it. Mamdani attended the event and held a candle as protesters showed up and took position outside police barricades, beating on drums and attempting to drown out speakers at the event.
Most of the crowd’s anger was directed at Mamdani. “Zohran, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” the protesters yelled. “700,000 dead. Mamdani, your hands are red!” The group of protesters could also be heard shouting Traitor, traitor, come on out! You sold all your people out!” Another popular refrain was, “Zohran, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide!”
According to a report from Trending Politics News, some of the angry pro-Palestinian protesters also accused the mayor of using his identity for political cover. “We don’t care about where you’re from. You cannot talk about being Muslim anymore. You cannot weaponize being brown anymore. Identity politics can only get you so far,” they yelled at him.
Another demonstrator claimed to be a former intern who worked for Mamdani and accused the mayor of failing to represent the movement that catapulted him to political renown. The protest showcased the growing agitation, disappointment, and subsequent frustration with the Democratic socialist mayor from activists who don’t feel he has gone far enough since taking office at the beginning of the year.
Several demonstrators expressed a desire to see Mamdani take action against several New York real-estate events that are connected to properties located in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. “Mayor Mamdani, take a stand. Stop the sale of stolen land,” the group chanted. That wasn’t the only demand protesters had for the mayor.
Others want to see the abolition of the City University of New York’s Board of Trustees, which has faced increasing pressure from anti-Israel activists who want a divestment from investments connected to Israel. What made the confrontation between Mamdani and protesters so intriguing is that he has a deep history of being one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s government in New York politics.
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Earlier in the day, Mamdani put out a statement condemning the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists, calling them a horrific war crime, while simultaneously condemning the Israeli government. “The suffering did not begin nor end that day,” he said. “It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children.”
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations that it has or is currently committing genocide, saying that military operations target Hamas and other armed groups while trying to keep civilian casualties to an absolute minimum. Critics, some of whom are Democrats, said that the statement should have remained focused on the victims of the attacks.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video