The organizer behind a petition signed by more than 113,000 people on behalf of 9/11 victims’ families said he was disappointed that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended Ground Zero for the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks. Still, he said he has no regrets about speaking out.
“Of course we’re disappointed after all the time and work we put into it, but in the end, he’s the mayor and did what he wanted,” Giovanni Galante told The Post on Saturday.
Galante’s 29-year-old wife, Grace, was among the 2,977 people killed by al-Qaeda terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He said he never expected the Change.org petition he created in July to attract so much support, but felt compelled to act because of what he described as Mamdani’s history of apologizing for Islamic terrorism.
“I didn’t want to go through this, really — I’m not an advocate, but I’m glad I did,” said Galante, a Brooklyn native and real estate agent who now lives in Florida.
“And I would do it again, 100 percent. I never expected to get over 113,000 signatures — 113,000 is humongous. I would have been happy with 3,000. We must never forget [the victims].”
Galante estimated that thousands of the signatures came directly from relatives of people killed in the 9/11 attacks.
Mamdani’s past comments and relationships with figures openly hostile to the United States or dismissive of the country’s deadliest terror attack — including left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved” the Sept. 11 attacks — turned the mayor’s planned appearance into a source of controversy. Despite the criticism, Mamdani rejected calls to stay away and vowed to attend.
Galante said he and other victims’ relatives were prepared to turn their backs on Mamdani and confront him at the ceremony if given the chance. However, organizers at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum seated elected officials away from family members, as they have during previous anniversary observances.
Asked about a viral video appearing to show Mamdani briefly laughing with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his fellow Democratic socialist, during the reading of the victims’ names, Galante said he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
“That easily could be taken out of context because it’s unclear what they were talking about,” he said.
Galante also offered Mamdani rare praise for being among the few elected officials who remained at the memorial for the nearly five-hour ceremony.
He wasn’t alone.
Charles G. Wolf, another staunch Mamdani critic whose 40-year-old wife Katherine Wolf was on the 97th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when it was struck by American Airlines Flight 11, told The Post he refused to shake Mamdani’s hand and turned his back on him in April while Hizzoner was meeting with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Ground Zero memorial in Manhattan.
But Wolf said he was “impressed” Mamdani stayed until the end of Friday’s ceremony — and approached him afterward to introduce himself as “the guy who turned his back on him” earlier in the year.
“I said I really appreciate the respect you showed for our loved ones and for doing what a mayor should do,” recalled Wolf. “We shook hands and he said, ‘Thank you for your feedback.’”
