At an anniversary vigil in Union Square on Wednesday, October 7, protesters shouted “traitor” at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose statement that day had already angered both sides.
Story Snapshot
- More than 100 anti-Israel demonstrators marched from City Hall to Union Square and chanted at the mayor outside the vigil.
- Mamdani’s statement called Hamas’s attack a “horrific war crime” but also accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.
- A New York Democrat in Congress called the statement “egregious and insulting.”
- After the vigil, the mayor ate dinner at Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant on the Upper West Side.
A Statement That Pleased No One
Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, made support for Palestinians a central part of his run for office. On the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, he put out a statement that called the attack a “horrific war crime.” He then wrote that “the suffering did not begin nor end that day.” He said it “continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
That second part angered many Jewish New Yorkers. Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democratic congressman from New York, called the statement “egregious and insulting.” He said it blamed “Israelis for the attack that they suffered three years ago.” On the other side, anti-Israel protesters accused the mayor of siding with genocide by attending a vigil for the victims, according to reports.
Chants Outside The Barricades
The vigil was held by a group called Israelis for Peace. More than 100 protesters marched from City Hall to Union Square. They stood outside the barricades, beat drums and tried to drown out the speakers, according to reports.
Their chants were aimed straight at the mayor. “Traitor, traitor, come on out! You sold all your people out!” they shouted. Another chant went, “Zohran, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide!” One protester, who said they had once been a Mamdani intern, claimed the mayor “was never working for the people.” Those charges are protest slogans, not evidence. Mamdani holds a city office and has no hand in the war in Gaza.
Dinner At Hinds Hall
After the vigil, Mamdani ate dinner at Hinds Hall on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to reports. The restaurant is a branch of Ayat, a Palestinian restaurant chain. Reports say the chain takes its name from Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed with her family in January 2024 while fleeing Gaza City. A social media user posted a photo of the mayor there and said it was “making quite a statement.”
Why This Matters For New Yorkers
A vigil is a place to grieve. When a crowd tries to shout one down, families start to feel that public spaces are not safe for them. The city owes mourners room to gather in peace, and it owes protesters the right to speak without blocking others from doing the same.
Words from city leaders also set the tone. Mamdani chose to use the anniversary of a terror attack to repeat his charge against Israel. Critics say that choice took a day of mourning and turned it into a political fight. The result was a mayor heckled by the left and blasted by the right on the same night.
Sources:
nytimes.com, jta.org, gothamist.com, legalinsurrection.com, nydailynews.com, themedialine.org
