New York.- Relatives of 9/11 victims collected 35,000 online signatures to request that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, not attend the 25th anniversary ceremony of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.
The initiative, hosted on the Change.org platform, is by Giovanni Galante, a man who lost his wife who worked on the 105th floor of the North Tower, and is addressed to the ceremony organizers, but anyone can join with their signature and leave comments.
In the text, Galante asks the organizers to consider whether Mamdani’s participation “aligns with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy.”
“This anniversary is a moment of remembrance based on shared American values: respect for the victims, recognition of the gravity of the attacks, and a clear rejection of the ideologies that contributed to such violence,” the petition notes.
Mamdani will attend the event
He adds that for many families and community members, participation carries the implicit expectation of defending these principles without ambiguity, and he raises concerns about the democratic socialist mayor’s public stance, “which many perceive as hostile.”
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However, Mamdani indicated to CBS that he plans to attend the event.
“I will proudly honor the families, survivors, and first responders who were forever marked by that horrific terrorist attack, standing with them at this year’s September 11th commemoration, reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city our home and, frankly, all of us who call this country our home,” the mayor stated.
“For the families of the 9/11 victims, this is not simply a public act, but a day of deeply personal mourning. The presence of people whose words or ties are perceived as contradictory to the solemn purpose of the event risks diverting attention from that goal and causing additional pain,” states the text for the petition.
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For its part, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum recalled that government officials from across the political spectrum have participated in the ceremony and do not give speeches, they are only witnesses to the commemoration.
While Dennis McKeon, organizer of the 9/11 survivors group in Staten Island, does not oppose the mayor’s participation, noting that for 25 years there have been mayors and governors who did not help the victims’ families “and they were never banned from anything.”
