Relations between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York’s Italian-American community remain strained.
Mamdani will not attend Monday’s Christopher Columbus Day parade along Fifth Avenue, The Post has learned.
The decision comes as little surprise given Mamdani’s longstanding criticism of the explorer, whom he has condemned as a colonist who abused and displaced Native Americans.
In a June 2020 social media post, Mamdani raised his middle finger at a Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria, Queens, and wrote: “Take it down.”
Italian-American civic leaders said the mayor’s absence represents the latest instance of what they view as his failure to recognize the community’s contributions to New York City and the United States.
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“He’s disrespectful to the Italian-American community, and not coming to the Columbus Day parade confirms it,” said Angelo Vivolo, chairman of the Columbus Heritage Coalition, which represents more than 50 Italian-American organizations.
“We know he hates Columbus. But the parade celebrates the rich culture and heritage of Italian-Americans.”
Mamdani also drew criticism from Italian-Americans after releasing an ethnic enclave map that identified lesser-known communities across the five boroughs while leaving out Little Italy and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
The mayor did release a nearly three-minute video message marking Italian Heritage Month.
In the statement, he recognized the Italian immigrants who helped build New York and paid tribute to former East Harlem Rep. Vito Marcantonio, a champion of Social Security, unemployment benefits and civil rights.
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel who has accused the Jewish state of genocide, also skipped the Israel Day parade in May.
