New York Mayor Mamdani attends Jewish group's memorial on Hamas attack anniversary
In short
New York City Mayor Mamdani attended a memorial gathering in Manhattan on October 7 held by a Jewish group that calls for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, marking three years since the Hamas attack on southern Israel. He did not speak, and a pro-Palestinian group nearby disrupted the gathering, shouting "Shame" and "Traitor" at him, according to a Kyodo report carried by the Sankei Shimbun.
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New York City Mayor Mamdani on October 7 attended a memorial gathering in Manhattan held by a Jewish group that calls for coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians, on the third anniversary of the surprise attack by the Islamist group Hamas on southern Israel, which borders the Gaza Strip, Kyodo News reported in a story carried by the Sankei Shimbun. The Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and the Tokyo Shimbun also reported his attendance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Participants held lights and placards reading "Don't let any more lives be lost", and relatives of victims of the attack gave speeches, according to the report. Mamdani did not address the gathering. [ 3 ]
A pro-Palestinian group disrupted the gathering from nearby, shouting "Shame" and "Traitor" at Mamdani, Kyodo reported. [ 3 ]
In a statement issued on October 7, Mamdani described the attack, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 people were taken to Gaza, as a "horrific war crime". In the same statement he criticised Israel's subsequent attacks on Gaza as a "devastating and ongoing genocide", according to the report. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The heckling of the mayor by pro-Palestinian protesters at a Jewish group's memorial was the focus of the Sankei Shimbun's headline. The same day, Mamdani issued a statement calling the Hamas attack a war crime and Israel's later attacks on Gaza a genocide, according to the report.
Key facts
- New York City Mayor Mamdani attended a memorial gathering held by a Jewish group. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The gathering in Manhattan on October 7 marked three years since the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel, which borders Gaza. [ 3 ]
- The organising Jewish group calls for coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians. [ 3 ]
- Relatives of victims of the attack gave speeches; Mamdani did not address the gathering. [ 3 ]
- A pro-Palestinian group disrupted the gathering nearby, shouting "Shame" and "Traitor" at Mamdani. [ 3 ]
- In a statement on October 7, Mamdani called the attack a "horrific war crime" and Israel's subsequent attacks on Gaza a "devastating and ongoing genocide". [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Details of the disruption by the pro-Palestinian group and of the mayor's statement. Only one report, by Kyodo carried in the Sankei Shimbun, gives these details; the other two outlets carried only the headline.
- The exact English wording of Mamdani's statement. The quotes are rendered from a Japanese-language report, so the original wording may differ.
- The name of the Jewish group that organised the memorial. The documents do not name the group.