More than 100,000 people have signed the petition urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the ceremony honoring those whose lives were lost during the September 11, 2001, terror attack.
At the time of writing, the petition has 106,868 signatures.
“I spent my career in Democratic politics helping elected officials find the spotlight. That’s why I signed this Change.org petition. The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is one morning that must stay free of politics,” wrote the former spokesman for former First Lady Jill Biden, Michael LaRosa, as per BizPac Review. “Mayor Mamdani’s presence at Ground Zero will be a lightning rod that diverts attention away from the only people that morning belongs to: the victims of this heinous attack and their loved ones. The Mayor and the organizers should do the right thing, keep the focus on the families, and keep the politics out.”
Mamdani confirmed that he would be attending the event this week.”I’m proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country,” he told reporters. “What I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11th, and a focus also on the first responders who did everything they could.”
A separate petition calls for respect to be shown for Mamdani’s decision. That petition, which has 150 signatures at the time of writing, calls backlash a “politically-motivated attack.”
“His decision to attend this anniversary should be respected as an expression of solidarity and compassion, not one influenced by prejudiced assumptions or external pressure,” the petition says. “While we recognize the deep grief many still feel at the loss of their loved ones 25 years ago, it is essential to recognize that leveraging Islamophobia—or any identity—to pressure an elected official to abdicate their responsibility to attend important events undermines the very spirit of diversity and acceptance that America stands for.”
