Overview
- A family‑organized Change.org petition launched in late July is asking organizers of the September 11, 2026 25th‑anniversary memorial to bar or limit New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s participation.
- Reports show the petition grew rapidly through July and was reported with counts ranging from roughly 45,000 to more than 57,000 signatures, reflecting fast public mobilization and differing tallies across outlets.
- Signers and organizers cite Mamdani’s public statements on Israel, his reluctance to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' and his association with city chief counsel Ramzi Kassem, who once represented a convicted al‑Qaeda defendant, as reasons his visible role would be hurtful.
- Mamdani has rejected calls to stay away and said he will attend to 'proudly honor' victims and stand with families, while some relatives say they would not object if he attended quietly but would object to him speaking.
- The dispute puts pressure on the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s longstanding nonpartisan practice of tightly controlled ceremonies and could force organizers to decide how to balance family objections with the tradition of elected officials attending.