New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were filmed smiling and laughing during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero on Friday, sparking widespread criticism across the United States.
The two were seen speaking and laughing while the names of victims of the attacks were being read aloud. Images from the live broadcast showed Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez smiling next to each other, while other moments of the ceremony showed victims’ relatives crying as they read the names of their loved ones from the stage.
Footage from Ground Zero draws political backlash
The Ground Zero ceremony was held this year on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. Families of victims continued the annual tradition of reading the names of those killed, alongside moments of silence commemorating the planes striking the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the crash in Pennsylvania.
The criticism came amid a dispute that preceded the ceremony over Mamdani’s participation. Families of September 11 victims launched a petition calling on him not to attend, arguing that his presence was inappropriate due to his positions and political affiliations. CBS New York reported in August on the initiative, and the number of signatories increased significantly in the days leading up to the ceremony.
Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, rejected the calls and said he would attend the ceremony to honor the victims and rescue personnel. Ahead of the anniversary, he also signed an order designating September 11 as a day of remembrance.
Mamdani’s attendance had already sparked controversy
Shortly before the moment that sparked the backlash, another tense encounter took place at the ceremony: Mamdani shook hands with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led the city during the 2001 attacks and had called on Mamdani in recent days not to attend the ceremony. The two exchanged a brief and cold handshake at Ground Zero.
The previous evening, a memorial procession was held in Manhattan that passed through Christian, Jewish, and Muslim houses of worship. According to the report, Mamdani joined only at the final stop, at an Islamic center.
Mamdani has previously sparked controversy over the way he has discussed the aftermath of September 11. During his election campaign, he spoke about a relative who, he said, stopped using the subway after the attacks because she did not feel safe while wearing a hijab.
His critics argued that he shifted the focus of remembrance away from the victims and toward the experiences of Muslims following the attacks. His supporters said he was seeking to highlight the wave of hostility toward Muslims that followed the attacks.