Families of victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks have launched a petition opposing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attendance at the 25th anniversary memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, sparking a political controversy ahead of the commemorative event.

The petition was initiated by Giovanni Galante, whose wife was killed in the 9/11 attacks at the age of 29. According to supporters of the campaign, it has already gathered more than 1,100 signatures, including at least 300 relatives of those who died in the attacks.

Families Say Memorial Should Remain Above Politics

“This day is sacred to us,” Galante told The New York Post. He described Mamdani’s planned attendance as “deeply offensive and inappropriate,” comparing it to “an uninvited guest appearing at a deeply personal ceremony.”

The petition criticizes Mamdani for declining to unequivocally condemn the slogan “Globalize the Intifada,” which many critics interpret as a call for violence against Jewish people. It also points to his past association with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, a controversial New York religious leader who has argued that Islam is superior to democracy and has described U.S. policy toward Israel as “the greatest threat to America.”

Organizers are urging New York City officials and the leadership of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to prevent Mamdani from participating in the ceremony at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers once stood.

A spokesperson for Mamdani said the mayor nevertheless intends to attend the memorial ceremony.