A battle is brewing between Muslim New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the families of those killed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks ahead of a memorial service to commemorate the 25th anniversary.
A group that includes relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is urging organizers of this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration at Ground Zero to keep Mamdani away from the ceremony.
The effort began with an online petition organized by Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed at the World Trade Center.
She was 29 and worked on the 105th floor of the North Tower.
Galante and other supporters argue that Mamdani’s attendance would be inappropriate because of positions he has taken and left-wing socialist political figures with whom he has associated.
“We felt that having Mamdani there would show a disrespect to our family members because of the people he supports,” Galante told CBS News New York.
The petition describes concerns about Mamdani’s “public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric” that its organizers view as hostile or inconsistent with the values represented by the annual commemoration.
The campaign has grown substantially since it was first reported in July. CBS News reported more than 23,000 total signatures by Aug. 18, while the New York Post reported Sept. 5 that the petition had surpassed 98,000 signatures.
The number of signers who are actually relatives of 9/11 victims has been disputed, however, and CBS corrected an earlier report that had inaccurately suggested thousands of victims’ family members had signed.
Galante initially estimated that hundreds of victims’ relatives had joined the effort, but organizers have not produced a verified accounting showing how many petition signatures belong to members of 9/11 families.
Some relatives have nevertheless publicly identified themselves as supporters.
Monica Iken Murphy, whose husband Michael was killed while working on the 84th floor of the South Tower, told CBS she believed the anniversary should remain focused on those who were directly affected by the attacks.
Other prominent members of the 9/11 community have taken a more measured position.
Dennis McKeon, who leads a Staten Island organization for 9/11 survivors, said he respected the families’ right to object to Mamdani’s attendance but noted that previous mayors and governors had faced criticism from 9/11 families without being excluded from the ceremony.
Mamdani has made clear that he intends to attend.
“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration,” Mamdani told CBS News New York.
He said his attendance would reaffirm the city’s commitment to “never forget” the attacks and their lasting impact.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which organizes the annual Ground Zero ceremony, has also resisted attempts to turn attendance by public officials into a partisan issue.
The organization said elected officials from across the political spectrum have traditionally been permitted to attend the ceremony as witnesses but do not give speeches and are placed in a designated area.
“We have intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics,” the organization told CBS.
The anniversary ceremony itself is centered on victims and their families rather than elected officials.
On Sept. 11, relatives will gather on the Memorial plaza to read aloud the names of the 2,983 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Seven moments of silence are planned, marking the attacks and collapses of the Twin Towers, the attack on the Pentagon, the crash of Flight 93 and, for the first time as part of the expanded commemoration, those who later died from illnesses and injuries connected to 9/11.
The ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m., with the first moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Access to the Memorial plaza will initially be reserved for victims’ family members.
Mamdani has taken additional steps in the days leading up to the anniversary to emphasize his administration’s recognition of the attacks.
On Sept. 4, he signed an executive order formally designating Sept. 11 as a citywide Day of Remembrance and Service.
The order directs the city to honor victims, first responders, survivors and people who later died from illnesses connected to their exposure at Ground Zero.