New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew attention Friday after they were seen laughing together during the 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial service, as relatives read aloud the names of those killed in the attacks.
The two Democrats appeared to share a lighthearted moment at the solemn Ground Zero ceremony in lower Manhattan, while mourners around them stood in silence.
At the time, family members of victims were continuing the annual reading of the names, and several people in attendance could be seen wiping away tears at the memorial.
Clips of the exchange spread quickly online, where critics called the laughter “a slap in the face” to the victims and their families.
The reaction followed earlier appeals from some 9/11 victims’ groups urging Mamdani not to attend the ceremony, a request he declined.
Mamdani had already faced sharp criticism this week after giving a ceremonial pen from a 9/11 remembrance event to an attorney who previously represented a convicted al Qaeda member and whose brother was one of the hijackers involved in the attacks.
A petition organized by relatives of 9/11 victims calling on the mayor to skip the annual commemoration surpassed 100,000 signatures, while former New York Gov. George Pataki also urged Mamdani to stay away.
Asked this week about the pressure to avoid the memorial, Mamdani said he still planned to attend, adding that he wanted “the focus to be on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11th.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were seen laughing together as the names of 9/11 victims were read at Ground Zero
The Democrats appeared to laugh during Friday morning’s solemn ceremony in lower Manhattan, as mourners stood quietly nearby
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the annual Ground Zero memorial Friday despite calls from some 9/11 victims’ families for him to stay away
New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez smiles during Friday’s event
At the event at Ground Zero on Friday, Mamdani was also seen greeting former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in an awkward exchange.
The pair got into a public spat after Giuliani also joined the calls for Mamdani to avoid this week’s 9/11 ceremonies.
Giuliani has said the Muslim mayor’s presence ‘offends’ him, and claimed Mamdani is ‘disturbing the people who are the most important people at that celebration.’
‘He stands in direct support of the movement that killed their children,’ he told Newsmax last week.
As a result, Mamdani released hundreds of thousands of previously unseen records that allegedly confirmed Giuliani’s administration knew about the toxic dangers of the city’s air quality following the September 11 attacks.
New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino also joined calls for Mamdani to avoid the event, as she said his presence would sent a ‘message to Osama bin Laden that, look, “We conquered New York.”‘
Paladino cited Mamdani’s decision to allow former attorney for an al-Qaeda operative, Ramzi Kassem, to take part in a recent 9/11-related signing ceremony, and specifically handing him a pen used to sign an executive order recognizing the terror attack.
‘I am sick to death of all of this,’ Paladino complained to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham. ‘We need to be able to see through this total, absolute farce that they’re trying to pawn off on New Yorkers and across the country.’
At the event at Ground Zero on Friday, Mamdani was also seen greeting former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in an awkward exchange
Mourners gather at the 9/11 25th anniversary event at Ground Zero on Friday
Ahead of the event, the Port Authority Retired Police Association sent an open letter to Mamdani urging him to avoid Friday’s event, saying his attendance would inflict ‘deep pain’ on victims’ families.
John McDevitt, president of the retired first responders’ association, wrote in the letter to the mayor: ‘For us, September 11 is not a political occasion, a photo opportunity, or a platform for public officials.
‘It is a solemn day of remembrance for those who were murdered, those who responded, those who survived, and the families who have carried these losses for twenty-five years.’
The police union said officers have ‘profound concerns’ over Mamdani’s public statements and positions, which they say ‘risk shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrifice the ceremony exists to honor.’
‘This is our day to remember,’ he wrote. ‘Please allow us to remember in peace.’
