NEW YORK, N.Y. โ New York State Senate candidate Alina Bonsell called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani Sunday to stay away from the city’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, joining some victims’ relatives who have argued that his presence at Ground Zero would be inappropriate.
Bonsell, who is running as a Republican and on the independent Block Mamdani line in State Senate District 28, issued a sharply worded statement Sept. 6 accusing Mamdani of failing to draw a sufficient line between himself and people who have made inflammatory statements about the terrorist attacks.
Her demand comes as a petition opposing Mamdani’s attendance has attracted tens of thousands of signatures ahead of Thursday’s anniversary.
“The 9/11 Memorial is not a political stage. It is sacred ground,” Bonsell said. “It belongs to the families who lost loved ones and to the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent people murdered that day.”
Bonsell’s statement focused in part on Mamdani’s association with political streamer Hasan Piker, who said during a 2019 livestream that “America deserved 9/11.”
Piker later said he regretted the way he phrased the remark.
Mamdani has also condemned the statement.
Bonsell argued that Mamdani’s continued association with Piker undermines that condemnation.
“A mayor who continues to associate with Hasan Piker, a man who said that America ‘deserved’ the September 11 attacks, has no business standing at Ground Zero and pretending to honor the victims,” Bonsell said.
Some 9/11 Families Have Asked Mamdani To Stay Away
The dispute predates Bonsell’s statement.
Relatives of some people murdered in the Sept. 11 attacks launched a petition this summer asking Mamdani not to attend the 25th anniversary ceremony.
The campaign was started by Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed while working on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Other relatives of victims have joined the effort, arguing that Mamdani’s political record and associations make his attendance inappropriate.
The petition had surpassed 98,000 signatures by early September, according to published reports.
The campaign should not, however, be characterized as representing all 9/11 families.
Some relatives of victims have publicly defended Mamdani’s right to attend the ceremony and argued that the mayor of New York should be present at the city’s official commemoration.
Elizabeth Miller, whose father was killed in the attacks, told CBS New York in August that the focus of the anniversary should be on remembrance and reflection 25 years after the attacks.
Bonsell Points To Piker And ‘Globalize The Intifada’
Bonsell also cited Mamdani’s history with the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has generated intense controversy within New York’s Jewish community.
During his rise to City Hall, Mamdani faced repeated questions about the slogan. Jewish organizations and other critics have argued that the phrase can reasonably be understood as a call to spread violence associated with Palestinian intifadas around the world.
Mamdani has said he does not personally use the phrase and has sought to discourage its use, while also resisting earlier demands that he categorically condemn people who employ it.
Bonsell linked that controversy to her argument that the mayor should not attend the 9/11 ceremony.
“A mayor who has refused to reject the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,’ a slogan widely understood as endorsing or encouraging violence against Jews, should not be taking part in a ceremony commemorating the victims of terrorism,” she said.
“Mayor Mamdani had every opportunity to draw a clear line. He chose not to.”
Bonsell also accused Mamdani of waiting until political pressure intensified before condemning Piker’s 2019 remark.
“That is not leadership,” she said. “You do not get to call a statement reprehensible while continuing to embrace the person who made it.”
Mamdani Says ‘Never Forget’ Must Be Carried Forward
Mamdani has taken several official steps ahead of the 25th anniversary that present a sharply different picture from the one described by his critics.
On Sept. 4, the mayor announced executive orders establishing Sept. 11 as an official citywide Day of Remembrance and Service and strengthening New York City’s emergency preparedness.
The initiative calls for a moment of silence, memorial and educational programming, and volunteer service across the city.
“I am honored to establish the City’s first Day of Remembrance and Service on September 11th to remember those we lost on that horrific day and the first responders, families and City workers whose lives were irrevocably changed in the aftermath,” Mamdani said.
“‘Never Forget’ is not a slogan. It is a commitment that we must carry forward through action.”
Two days earlier, Mamdani participated in an FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall plaque dedication ceremony honouring 36 Fire Department members who died from 9/11-related illnesses during the previous year.
He described the approaching anniversary as marking “the horrific terror attacks of September 11th” and spoke about the sacrifice of first responders and the continuing responsibility to their families.
The mayor has therefore shown no indication that he intends to accept calls to stay away from the anniversary events.
25 Years Since The Attacks
The controversy is unfolding ahead of one of the most significant anniversaries in modern New York history.
On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial aircraft, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers and another into the Pentagon. A fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers.
Nearly 3,000 people were murdered.
Twenty-five years later, the Ground Zero ceremony remains centred on the victims, their relatives, survivors and first responders, including the reading of the names of those killed.
Bonsell said that solemn purpose is precisely why she believes Mamdani should not attend.
“New York City’s 9/11 ceremony belongs to the families who lost everything that day,” she said. “It belongs to the victims. It belongs to the first responders who ran toward the burning buildings.”
“Mayor Mamdani should respect the families, respect the victims, and stay away from this year’s ceremony.”
Bonsell is a businesswoman and healthcare professional who has lived on Manhattan’s East Side for more than 20 years. She is seeking to represent New York State Senate District 28.
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