New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday he has no plans to attend any protests during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, while also denying he has ever encouraged New Yorkers to demonstrate against the Israeli leader.
“I do not have any plans to attend any protest at the UNGA,” Mamdani said. “To New Yorkers I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in this city.”
The remarks come less than two months after Mamdani said New Yorkers had the right to protest Netanyahu’s visit and that he would leave the decision to them.
Mamdani and Netanyahu have been at odds over the Israeli leader’s expected trip to New York since July, when Mamdani said he had asked his administration to review applicable law to determine whether the city could execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
At a July 22 press conference, Mamdani called protest “one of the bedrocks of our city.”
“It is something that has been a part of what makes our city so special, that New Yorkers can express themselves whether they are in support or in opposition no matter on whatever topic,” he said at the time.
He added: “And I’ve always said that when we respect our Constitution, we also respect our First Amendment. And here in New York City it will always be a place where you can exercise that.”
Mamdani has repeatedly criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza and accused the country of committing genocide, while voicing support for pro-Palestinian causes. He also skipped New York City’s annual Israel Day Parade on May 31, becoming the first mayor in decades to miss the event.
Mamdani has previously called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and an “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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