New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to attend the annual 9/11 memorial service at Ground Zero on Friday despite a petition signed by over 110,000 people, including relatives of victims, asking him to stay away. The controversy surrounds Mamdani's appointment as chief legal counsel of Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented an al Qaeda operative. Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush are also expected to attend the invitation-only event. Critics argue that Mamdani's presence may detract from the solemn purpose of the memorial service.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 8, 2024, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed, an event that has become a significant marker for young conservatives in America, akin to September 11, 2001 and the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. The day of his death is now referred to by some as 9/10, symbolizing its impact on political activism among students. Meanwhile, the small Canadian town of Gander played a pivotal role during the September 11 attacks when U.S. airspace was closed, leading to 38 international flights landing there, doubling the population overnight and necessitating an impromptu humanitarian effort by locals to aid around 7,000 stranded passengers and crew members for several days. This act of kindness inspired the Broadway musical "Come From Away," which highlights Gander's generosity and humanity in times of crisis.
Written for “9/11 Anniversary Reflections” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 167 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 8065: attributed speech only · logged 2026-09-11
Scores of New Yorkers, including some families victimized by the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the annual memorial service at Ground Zero — a call he is not heeding.
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he → include → call
Mamdani is set to attend the annual remembrance ceremony on Friday at Ground Zero, which is an invitation-only event attended by victims’ families, dignitaries and other invited guests.
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which → set → families
Hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the event begins at 8:30 a.m.
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event → host → a.m.
Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are also expected to attend.
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Vance → expect → ?
A petition launched by relatives of 9/11 victims, which has since garnered roughly 110,000 signatures, asks Mamdani to stay home on Friday, citing his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel.
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which → launch → counsel
Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges.
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who → represent → charges
The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain," the petition reads.
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petition → perceive → pain
"The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day.
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that → remain → day
Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration."
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participants → ensure → commemoration
The controversy intensified after Mamdani handed a ceremonial pen used to sign 9/11-related executive orders to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to Kassem.
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Mamdani → intensify → Kassem
Critics on social media characterized the hand-off as a slap in the face to relatives of those who died in the attacks.
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who → characterize → attacks
The mayor has defended his decision to attend the 9/11 memorial despite the criticisms levied against him.
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mayor → defend → him
I love this city.
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I → love → city
I love this country.
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I → love → country
And what I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11, and a focus also on the first responders who gave everything they could to this city and to the people who came together to try and help their fellow New Yorkers," Mamdani said in response to the criticisms.
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Mamdani → want → criticisms
Former New York Gov. George Pataki and one-time New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, both Republicans, have echoed calls for Mamdani to stay away from the ceremony.
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Mamdani → echo → ceremony
"Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming," the former mayor said.
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mayor → lose → me
In addition to his appointment of Kassem, Mamdani has also caught flak from critics in the lead-up to Sept. 11 for his past failure to denounce the phrase "globalize the intifada," his praise for an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, his endorsement of candidates who have made controversial statements about the attack and his continued association with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who stated that America "deserved 9/11."
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America → catch → 9/11
The mayor later called Piker’s comments "objectionable and reprehensible," though has not disavowed him as a figure.
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mayor → call → figure
He has also since stated that he would "discourage" people from saying "globalize the intifada."
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he → state → intifada
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
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office → respond → Thursday
