New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced criticism from several mourners attending the 25th anniversary September 11 remembrance at Ground Zero, with some arguing that controversies surrounding his political associations and personnel decisions made his attendance inappropriate.
Walter Matuza, whose father was killed while working at Carr Futures in the North Tower, was among those who objected. Matuza told Fox News that Mamdani’s decision to attend “does bother us” and said he participated in the effort by victims’ families to persuade the mayor to stay away. That petition had collected more than 110,000 signatures around the time of the commemoration.
Another mourner, identified as Steven and described as having traveled from Hobe Sound, Florida, characterized Mamdani’s attendance as “disrespectful” and “very offensive.” Although he acknowledged that the mayor had the right to attend, he said concerns about “who he represents and the people he’s affiliated with” made him believe Mamdani should not participate. “I don’t feel that his presence here is wanted,” Steven said.
MAGA Republicans Demand NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Resign After Video Shows Him Laughing During 9/11 Memorial pic.twitter.com/5eTXwBIKa6
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Much of the controversy involved Mamdani’s appointment of Ramzi Kassem as chief counsel. Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a Saudi detainee held at Guantanamo Bay who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges connected with terrorist plots targeting commercial ships, including the 2002 attack on the French tanker MV Limburg. Contrary to some descriptions circulating around the controversy, al-Darbi was the brother-in-law, not the brother, of September 11 hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar.
Mike, a former New Jersey police officer who said he came to Manhattan to assist following the attacks, told Fox News that based on Mamdani’s previous rhetoric, “he probably should have skipped it.” Another attendee called Mamdani a “communist” and argued that the memorial should not become a political event. Those statements reflected the views of individual attendees rather than a unanimous position among families. Another attendee interviewed by Fox News said Mamdani had a right to attend and that he had no objection so long as the mayor behaved respectfully.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former New York Gov. George Pataki had also publicly urged Mamdani not to attend. Mamdani nevertheless said he intended to participate to honor families and first responders. In comments before the anniversary, he described September 11 as a “horrific act of terror” and said attention should remain on families whose relatives were killed.
Mamdani’s administration separately marked the anniversary by releasing more than 170,000 pages of city records concerning the government’s response and health consequences following the attacks. The administration also created a digital tribute to rescue and recovery efforts around New York.
Before Friday’s ceremony, Mamdani approached Giuliani and the two exchanged a brief greeting despite their political disagreements. Inside the memorial, families continued the reading of nearly 3,000 names while moments of silence marked the attacks’ major events.
For the families who opposed Mamdani’s attendance, however, the dispute was intensely personal. Their comments showed that even a quarter-century after the attacks, questions about who participates in Ground Zero commemorations can stir emotions almost as powerful as the political debates surrounding New York itself.
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