An unwelcome guest’: Some 9/11 victims’ families want Mamdani barred from tribute

Hundreds of families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York are calling to bar the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, from attending the annual commemoration, according to a petition posted online Saturday.

The petition, signed by some 300 families of victims of 9/11, says reasons that Mamdani should be barred from the event include "Perceived reluctance to clearly and unequivocally condemn phrases such as 'globalize the intifada,'" as well as support for individuals who have been apologists for jihad, extremism, and terrorism, and who have minimized the attacks.

It points to Mamdani's father, who the petition says "penned a book shortly after 9/11 in which he argued that suicide bombers should be 'understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.'"

It also notes the left-wing mayor's own comments blaming the US for encouraging attacks on itself, and his tendency to fraternize with people and political candidates who disrespect American institutions and symbols.

"The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day," the petition declares.

"Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration," it says.

“This day is sacred to us,” Giovanni Galante, whose wife Grace Catherine Galante was killed in the attacks, told The New York Post . “It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful and inappropriate — like an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony.”

Cheri Sparacio, who lost her husband Thomas, said the mayor's presence would be "disrespectful" to the families.

According to the Post, over 1,100 members of the families of around 300 9/11 victims are among the 6,500 signatories to the petition so far.

Organizers told the outlet that the mayor is among various officials invited, and will not be speaking.

The mayor's office told the Post that Mamdani plans to attend.

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