New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has defended Mamdani’s attendance, emphasizing that the 9/11 anniversary should be a moment for New Yorkers to come together and remember those who were killed, as well as the first responders and others affected by the attacks.
Mamdani has also made clear that he intends to participate in the ceremony. He said his focus should be on the families who lost loved ones and on the first responders who served during and after the attacks.
The decision has nevertheless triggered controversy. A petition opposing Mamdani’s attendance has attracted more than 100,000 signatures, while some 9/11 victims’ relatives recently delivered the petition to City Hall and urged the mayor not to attend.
The controversy has also involved former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who publicly criticized Mamdani and urged him to skip the ceremony. Mamdani has rejected the idea that the commemoration should become a political fight and has maintained that honoring the victims and first responders is his responsibility as mayor.
Mamdani recently designated September 11 as an annual “Day of Remembrance and Service” in New York City, with measures intended to preserve the memory of the attacks and promote emergency preparedness.
The 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero will include the traditional reading of the names of those killed and moments of silence marking key moments of the attacks.
At the center of the dispute is a broader question: should a solemn national memorial remain above political divisions, even when the mayor himself is controversial? Hochul’s position is clear—New York’s mayor should be present to honor the city’s dead.
