New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has vetoed a bill that would have protected educational facilities from protests in a legislative attempt to combat antisemitism.
Mamdani announced Friday that he is vetoing one of two ‘buffer zone’ bills passed by the City Council last month. This marks his first-ever veto since entering office.
Intro 175-B, which applies to educational institutions, aims to create protest restrictions around schools, universities, and other educational spaces. However, it has proved controversial because of its broad definition of what counts as an educational site, raising concerns about restricting lawful protest across large parts of the city.
Mamdani said the broad definition of an educational institution raises constitutional concerns regarding New Yorkers’ fundamental right to protest.
“As the bill is written, everywhere from universities to museums to teaching hospitals could face restrictions,” he said, adding that this could “impact workers protesting ICE, or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights.”
He cited the fact that a dozen unions have raised the alarm about its impact on their ability to organize.
He, however, passed Intro 1-B, which focuses on houses of worship, requiring the NYPD to formalize plans to prevent obstruction, intimidation, or interference outside places like synagogues and churches while still protecting free speech. While Mamdani said the bill “initially raised constitutional concerns,” he noted that the final version of the bill that passed is narrower in scope and effect.
“Following a thorough legal review, I do not believe it poses the same risks it once did, and that is why I will allow it to become law,” he said, adding that he nevertheless disagrees with its framing of all protest as a security concern.”
NYC Jewish community raises concerns
The veto has sparked scorn from across the Jewish community, most surprisingly from the Satmar hasidic community, which has come out in support of Mamdani in the past.
“We’re horrified by @NYCMayor Mamdani’s decision to veto Intro 175, legislation that would have mandated clear safety plans around our schools and Yeshivas. Our children’s safety should always be a top priority! This veto clearly doesn’t defend rights! It puts the safety of every student in NYC in harm’s way,” Satmar HQ tweeted on X/Twitter.
This comes even though a faction of the Satmar hasidic community, led by Rabbi Moshe Indig, publicly declared his support for Mamdani.
Mamdani also made an appearance at the annual Kislev 21 celebration commemorating the escape of the late Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, during the Holocaust.
Aside from the Satmar community, the UJA-Federation of New York, ADL New York/New Jersey, AJC New York, Conference of Presidents, JCRC-NY, New York Board of Rabbis, Orthodox Union, The Rabbinical Assembly, StandWithUs, Teach NYS, and Union for Reform Judaism all released a joint statement condemning Mamdani.
“At a time when Jewish and other communities across our city are facing heightened threats, this legislation represented a crucial step toward ensuring that every school and community institution can be better protected,” read the statement. “Measures like these importantly safeguard institutions against real and growing threats while maintaining people’s right to protest.”
They called the veto “a profound failure of City Hall to demonstrate to all New Yorkers that our safety is a priority.”
Andrew Cuomo, who went up against Mamdani in the mayoral race, accused his rival of choosing “the whims of his radical, extreme-left DSA base over the safety of students and Jewish New Yorkers at a time of rising antisemitism.”
“Instead of governing for all NYers, Mamdani has repealed the very definition of antisemitism from the city’s books, changed how antisemitic crimes are counted, and now vetoed these commonsense security measures when they are needed most,” he said.
On the subject of the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America], the group’s NYC branch praised the veto, saying it defended free speech.
“The bill represents a clear attempt to silence the Palestinian solidarity movement [and] would bring Black, brown, and immigrant students into greater contact with law enforcement,” it said.
Progressive Jewish groups such as Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) also praised the veto, saying the buffer zone bills were not about keeping New Yorkers safe but were about silencing voices “under the auspices of combating antisemitism.”
On his first day in office earlier in 2026, Mamdani revoked the IHRA definition of antisemitism, drawing condemnation from many. Last Wednesday, the executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism (MOCA) confirmed the city now has no codified definition for antisemitism and has no plans to introduce one.