Mayor Zohran Mamdani Attends 9/11 Ceremony Amid Protests

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the official September 11 commemoration ceremony on September 15, 2026, despite a petition signed by over 100,000 people seeking to bar his participation. Opponents, including right-wing politicians and some victims' families, argued that the mayor's public positions and associations justified his exclusion.

During the event, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani condemned Mamdani's presence, claiming that "All of the Muslims he supports are murderers." Mamdani responded by shaking Giuliani's hand. Before the ceremony, Mamdani visited local firehouses and released a previously secret report detailing the toxicity of air quality near Ground Zero following the 2001 attacks.

While approximately three-quarters of New Yorkers supported the mayor's attendance, the event coincided with protests in Manhattan that turned violent.