Rudy Giuliani, NYC mayor during the 9/11 attacks, says current Mayor Mamdani should not attend this week’s memorial ceremony.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has said current Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend this week’s 9/11 memorial ceremony, criticising the Muslim mayor’s decision to take part in the commemoration.
Giuliani was mayor when the September 11 attacks took place in 2001 and is expected to attend Friday’s ceremony. An online petition urging Mamdani to skip the ceremony had collected nearly 100,000 signatures.
“Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming,” he said. He said he would attend the main ceremony and several other events to honour the families of those killed and the first responders affected by the attacks. He has previously spoken about the Islamophobic backlash in an interview with The New York Times, it made anti-Muslim prejudice “a fact of life” for Muslim Americans. “It was this horrific day that was also for many New Yorkers the moment at which they were marked ‘other,” he said.
Giuliani made the remarks during an interview with Newsmax. Mamdani has rejected calls to stay away. “I’m proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. Former New York governor George Pataki has also opposed Mamdani’s attendance. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama are expected at Friday’s commemorations. Vice-President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House in New York, while Trump is scheduled to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon.
I love this country,” Mamdani said on Monday.