Mamdani attends 9/11 memorial amid Islamophobia claims, draws backlash and Giuliani handshake
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the 25th anniversary Ground Zero ceremony after weeks of criticism, exchanging words with Rudy Giuliani and later facing renewed attacks over his remarks about his aunt.
Part of a larger narrative
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What to know
- Mamdani attended the 25th anniversary 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero despite a petition with over 100,000 signatures urging his exclusion and criticism from Rudy Giuliani.
- Giuliani and Mamdani shook hands and exchanged words at the memorial, with Giuliani saying he did it because it was 'the right thing to do' and offering praise.
- Mamdani's remarks describing his aunt as a 'real victim' of post-9/11 Islamophobia drew renewed backlash, including from former NFL player Breiden Fehoko.
- Online commentary is heavily one-sided in defending Mamdani's right to attend as mayor, with many dismissing the exclusion petition as manufactured outrage or bigotry.
The dispute Whether opposition to Mamdani's attendance reflects legitimate grievance from 9/11 families or is itself Islamophobic and manufactured outrage. · positions read across 369 posts and comments
As mayor, Mamdani has every right and duty to attend, and objections to his presence are bigoted or racist.
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“The people who don’t want Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial ARE THE SAME PEOPLE who support Trump and his support for Saudi Arabia. That’s because these people are REALLY, REALLY DUMB and RACIST.”
jaylionel.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The petition and its 100,000 signatures are manufactured outrage, not representative of the city or credible.
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“100,000.....out of a city of 9,000,0000. Maybe add that to the headline.”
cyberman3000.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Giuliani, not Mamdani, is the one who shouldn't be welcome at the ceremony.
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“It's entirely offensive that a treasonous fuck like Giuliani intends to be there. 🤬”
jhnoonan.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
“America has been bending over backwards to accept terrorist supporters in this country. I'm so sick of liberal America brushing off what happened 25 years ago on 9/11.”
Breiden Fehoko, Former NFL player · X (via Yahoo Sports) ↗ · Sep 11
Zohran Mamdani NYC Mayor
Rudy Giuliani Former NYC MayorBreiden Fehoko Former NFL player, ex-teammate of Joe Burrow
How it unfolded 8 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideospostscomments
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Fehoko calls Mamdani's 9/11 remarks about his aunt a lie
Former NFL player Breiden Fehoko attacked Mamdani on X over remarks in which the mayor described his aunt, who feared riding the subway in a hijab, as a 'real victim' of 9/11's aftermath, calling Mamdani a terrorist.
“Imagine telling a New Yorker 25 years ago that they'd have that terrorist Mamdani leading their city…”
— Breiden Fehoko -
first by Yahoo Sports, 11d ago
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"Mamdani extends his hand to giuliani to shake and cowardly giuliani does" should be the headline instead.
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Giuliani says shaking Mamdani's hand was 'the right thing to do'
Giuliani told the New York Post he shook Mamdani's hand because it was the right thing to do, offering surprising praise despite his earlier criticism of Mamdani's attendance.
“I'll Pray for You…”
— Rudy Giuliani, Former NYC Mayor · source -
first by NY Post, 12d ago
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Giuliani and Mamdani shake hands, exchange words at ceremony
Giuliani and Mamdani shook hands at the memorial in a moment described as awkward; Giuliani reportedly told Mamdani "I'll pray for you."
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first by HuffPost, 12d ago · also NY Post, Politico
2 more headlines
- Lipreader reveals what Giuliani said to Zohran Mamdani in awkward exchange at 9/11 ceremony NY Post · 12d ago
- At 9/11 ceremony, Giuliani and Mamdani … shake hands? Politico · 12d ago
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first by Independent UK, 11d ago · also The Independent
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Mamdani honors New York's 'resilience' at the memorial
In remarks covered by NBC News, Mamdani spoke about the city's resilience during the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
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# RightWingers in 'shock' after ## shakes # Mamdani 's hand at GroundZero - Raw Story Former # NewYork City Mayor # RudyGiuliani shook hands with Mayor # ZohranMamdani (D-NY) at the Ground Zero ceremony, five days after he told the mayor not to attend because his presence offended him. Video from # ABC7NY , posted on # X on Friday morning, showed…
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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‘I’ll Pray for You’: Giuliani and Mamdani Have an Exchange at the Memorial https://www. nytimes.com/2026/09/11/nyregio n/mamdani-9-11-ground-zero-giuliani.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into New York @ new-york-newyorktimes
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This is like claiming that if you're Christian, you're responsible for the Spanish Inquisition https://www. nytimes.com/2026/09/11/nyregio n/mamdani-sept-11.html # uspol
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Mamdani attends Ground Zero ceremony amid Islamophobia claims
Mamdani appeared at the 9/11 memorial alongside current and former New York mayors, having faced Islamophobia and calls for him not to attend leading up to the event.
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first by Louder With Crowder, 12d ago · also Daily Mail, Blaze Media, Washington Examiner, NY Post, Washington Times, The Post Millennial
7 more headlines
- AOC and Mamdani are seen LAUGHING together while names of dead 9/11 victims are read out Daily Mail · 12d ago
- AOC and Mamdani seen laughing and smiling as 9/11 families weep at Ground Zero Blaze Media · 12d ago
- AOC and Mamdani take heat for apparently laughing as 9/11 victims' names are read off Washington Examiner · 12d ago
- Zohran Mamdani and AOC spotted laughing at 9/11 ceremony while victims’ families weep during reading of names NY Post · 12d ago
- Mamdani, AOC seen laughing as 9/11 victims' names are read Washington Times · 12d ago
- Mamdani, AOC seen giggling at Ground Zero as 9/11 victims' names are read The Post Millennial · 12d ago
- AOC and Mamdani take heat for laughing as 9/11 victims’ names are read off Washington Examiner · 12d ago
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first by Gothamist, 12d ago
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AOC and Mamdani are seen laughing and smiling together as names of honored dead are read at Ground Zero:
2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
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Current and former mayors of New York City are at today’s 9/11 memorial at ground zero. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has faced Islamophobia leading up to the ceremony and calls for him not to attend, is also present.
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“[Mamdani] is the only reason why I would consider going to the commemoration. He is the mayor of a city that won't be shut down, that won't be told it is okay to be a racist.” @mehdirhasan speaks with Donna Marsh O’Connor, mother of Vanessa Lang Langer — a 9/11 victim, on the call to ban NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani from the 9/11 commemoration…
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- 2 days quiet
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Mamdani confirms he will attend 9/11 ceremony despite Giuliani criticism
Mamdani said he would attend Friday's 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero despite Rudy Giuliani saying his presence would offend him; Mamdani declined to respond further to the criticism.
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2 outlets first by ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos, 15d ago · also abc7NY · read ↗
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first by Al Jazeera, 12d ago
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he will attend Friday’s ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, despite criticism from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said Mamdani’s presence at Ground Zero would offend him. Mamdani declined to respond further to
2 more of the top 3 · 235 posts in this stretch
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Americans must learn that honor and character are the most important qualities of any elected leader, NOT which of the three major Abrahamic Cults they happen to’ve been raised in. Trump, Hegseth, Leavitt, and Trump’s cronies all claim to be “Christian”, yet are dishonorable radical extremist thugs.
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As magalicious as I am, he's the mayor of NYC , or course he she be honoring the victims of this attack. If hw tries making it political, we'll just call him out. This trancends whatever extreme political views you hold.
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Mamdani's office releases schedule of eight 9/11 anniversary events
NBC News reported Mamdani would attend at least eight events over the week to mark the 25th anniversary, according to a schedule shared by his office.
“The people who don’t want Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial ARE THE SAME PEOPLE who support Trump and his support for Saudi Arabia.”
— jaylionel.bsky.social, Bluesky commenter · source -
first by ABC News, 16d ago
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The people who don’t want Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial ARE THE SAME PEOPLE who support Trump and his support for Saudi Arabia. That’s because these people are REALLY, REALLY DUMB and RACIST.
2 more of the top 3 · 110 posts in this stretch
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Are the signatures even real ? I wonder. Social media puts everything on steroids especially disinformation. Mayor Mamdani certainly should be there. And, the claim of a 100,000 signatures doubtful
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend at least eight events over the next week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, according to a schedule his office shared with NBC News.
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Petition seeking Mamdani's exclusion from 9/11 event reaches 100,000 signatures
A petition urging that Mamdani be barred from the ceremony passed 100,000 signatures; Mamdani said he wanted the focus on families who lost loved ones to "the horrific act of terror."
“the horrific act of terror.”
— Zohran Mamdani -
first by Legal Insurrection, 15d ago · also The Hill
1 more headline
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1 outlet first by Forbes Business, 15d ago · read ↗
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The New York City Mayor has said he will be present at the ceremony and wants the focus to be on the families who lost their loved ones to "the horrific act of terror."
2 more of the top 3 · 14 posts in this stretch
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https://www. europesays.com/us/1049154/ George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, some 9/11 families oppose Mamdani’s attendance at Friday’s WTC ceremony #19802631 # America # NewYork # NewYorkCity # NewYork # NewYorkCity # NY # NYC # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesOfAmerica # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesofAmerica # US # USA
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100,000.....out of a city of 9,000,0000. Maybe add that to the headline.
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Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by Fox News, 15d ago · also Washington Times, Jerusalem Post
2 more headlines
- Families of 9/11 victims press Zohran Mamdani not to attend remembrance ceremony Washington Times · 15d ago
- 'Don't show your face': 9/11 victims' families demand Mamdani skip World Trade Center ceremony Jerusalem Post · 14d ago
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first by One America News Network, 15d ago · also NY Post, New York Post
1 more headline
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first by Washington Times, 11d ago · also Jerusalem Post
1 more headline
- Mamdani, AOC spark backlash after appearing to laugh during 9/11 memorial ceremony Jerusalem Post · 11d ago
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first by Daily Mail, 12d ago · also Mediaite
3 more headlines
- Giuliani Reveals What He Told Mamdani in 9/11 Handshake NewsMax.com · 12d ago
- Rudy Giuliani's Message to Zohran Mamdani During 9/11 Memorial Handshake Revealed Mediaite · 12d ago
- Rudy Giuliani's tense exchange with Mayor Mamdani at 9/11 memorial after public spat over Ground Zero air quality: Live updates Daily Mail · 12d ago
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first by Mastodon, 13d ago · also NYT
1 more headline
- Facing Islamophobia, Mamdani Keeps Focus on 9/11 Victims NYT · 12d ago
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first by Times of India, 12d ago · also The Times of India
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first by The Daily Wire, 12d ago · also Daily Wire
and 22 smaller pieces
What people are saying 11 voices from 3 sites · best of 369 · verbatim
- How many of the petition's 100,000 signatories actually live in New York City or are connected to 9/11 victims?
- Sep 11
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AOC and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are caught laughing as the victims’ names are read off at the 9/11 Ceremony. This one’s going to piss you off. They don’t even care about the optics anymore, like the old guard Democrats. They’re either that dumb, or they just don’t care and are
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Zohran Mamdani and AOC Caught LAUGHING on Camera While The Names of 9/11 Victims Are Read 3,000 Americans died that day and they’re smiling and joking. They don’t even pretend to care anymore. What a disgrace.
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Watching Zorhan Mamdani and AOC laughing it up while the 9/11 victim names were being read out and their family members were crying out in sorrow, might just be the most vile imagine I have ever seen on social media in my lifetime!
- Sep 8
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Giuliani and Pataki and all the other opportunistic Islamophobes can go fuck themselves
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'It offends me': Giuliani says Mamdani should skip 9/11 memorial. He still thinks he's mayor. # nyc https://www. inquirer.com/news/nation-world /giuliani-sept11-memorial-offend-mamdani-attending-20260907.html#cxrecs_s
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From AP: LIVE: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani makes a 9/11-related announcement https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=H-7W8y7jKd I&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon * VSN-GDPM c1996 # news # SupportIndependentMedia # vsn
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It's not what they say, it's how they say it...
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More than 60 Muslim religious people were killed by the 911 attacks. And yet some people are calling for the New York Mayor not to attend the Memorial Day. Using religion as an excuse for violence, or exclusion, shows a complete lack of knowledge of, or respect for, religious teachings. Idiots.
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It's 2026. Racism and stereotyping is as prevalent today as it was 25 years ago. Sad.
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Imagine the response of these same people if his initial plan had been not to attend
- Sep 7
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https://www. europesays.com/us/1049153/ George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, some 9/11 families oppose Mamdani’s attendance at Friday’s WTC ceremony #19802631 # America # NewYork # NewYorkCity # NewYork # NewYorkCity # NY # NYC # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesOfAmerica # UnitedStates # UnitedStatesofAmerica # US # USA