Mamdani says he was ‘proud to attend’ October 7 vigil where protesters called him a ‘traitor’

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was proud to attend an October 7 vigil held by Israelis for Peace, where pro-Palestinian protesters called him a traitor. He defended his attendance during a press conference, stating he signed up for this as mayor. Mamdani sidestepped questions about his earlier October 7 statement, which Jewish groups criticized for focusing on Israel's Gaza campaign rather than the Hamas attack.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday he was "proud to attend" the previous night's October 7 vigil held by Israelis for Peace, where pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed the event and called him a "traitor" to the movement. During a press conference, Mamdani stated, "I'm the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for." Demonstrators mocked and yelled at vigil participants, lobbed chants at Mamdani and Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, and some displayed Hamas symbols. Mamdani said he attended to listen to testimonies from family members of those killed on October 7 and in the three years since, who he said "united in the vision for peace and an end to the genocide in Gaza." He sidestepped questions about whether he would change his Wednesday October 7 statement, which Jewish groups criticized for focusing more on Israel's military campaign in Gaza than on the Hamas attack. Mamdani pointed instead to his overall actions, including the vigil and a meeting with Palestinian New Yorkers. New York Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the protest, posting that disrupting a vigil for October 7 victims while waving terrorist organization flags is "absolutely despicable."