Zohran Mamdani, the newly inaugurated mayor of New York City, is facing criticism from his own side of the aisle for failing to denounce an anti-Israel protest outside a synagogue in Queens late Thursday.
Video footage shows masked protesters waving Palestinian flags outside the Jewish house of worship while chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear. We support Hamas here.” They also held signs that read, “Authentic Rabbis always opposed Zionism and the State of Israel,” and “Stop the Sale of Stolen Land.” Meanwhile, pro-Israel demonstrators were across the street as part of a counter-protest.
Many political figures denounced the anti-Israel protest, with some specifically calling on Mamdani for a response to the incident.
“Still waiting on condemnation of support for Hamas at a protest in a Jewish neighborhood from” the mayor, New York state Rep. Sam Berger, a Democrat and Jew, wrote on X Friday morning.
In a separate post, he thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) for “having the moral fortitude to condemn these antisemitic chants in my district.”
In her response, Hochul said, “Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews. No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it’s dangerous, and it has no place in New York.”
Hours before the protest, Berger urged Mamdani to immediately condemn the event that prompted a day care, two elementary schools, and a Jewish house of worship to close early for the day.
As of Friday afternoon, Mamdani has not issued a response. Mamdani once said, “I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbors to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city.”
The New York City Police Department maintained a safety perimeter around the protest to ensure no chaos ensued between the opposing protesters.
Among the Democrats who condemned the antisemitic protest were former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). None of them mentioned Mamdani, but an aspiring politician who plans to run for mayor in 2029 did.
Liberal actor and comedian Michael Rapaport called out Mamdani for refusing to immediately condemn the protest and urged Hochul to resign for not banning people from wearing face masks in public.
Hochul has pushed for a statewide mask ban in the past year, but her proposal has not gained enough traction to overcome objections made by civil liberties advocates. The governor is also backing a proposal to create “safety zones” around houses of worship in an effort to restrict protests and prevent violence from breaking out. Still, Rapaport isn’t satisfied.
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In a profanity-laden video, the mayoral hopeful warned Mamdani and Hochul of the dangerous consequences if they tolerate blatant antisemitism in New York City.
“Something bad is going to happen. Do we want a Bondi Beach situation in the greatest city on Earth?” he said, referencing the ISIS-inspired shooting that killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration last month in Sydney, Australia. “What the f*** are you going to do about it, governor? Mayor?”