New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned language at a pro-Palestinian protest where “we support Hamas” was chanted, as support of a terrorist organization, in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.
“Chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city,” Mamdani wrote over a picture of a New York Times headline about his earlier comments on the protest.
The protest, led by Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL-Awda), took place on Thursday night outside a local synagogue to oppose Mortgage Israel and Tivuch Shelly’s Israel Real Estate Event.
Videos circulated shortly afterward of protesters yelling, “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.”
Responses to the chants
Multiple politicians responded to the chants the next day, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul all taking to X Friday morning to condemn the language.
They all emphasized Hamas’s status as a terrorist organization.
On Saturday, US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also posted on X to condemn the chants, stating that “marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do.”
Mamdani commented when a Politico reporter asked him to respond to the chants. He said, “That language is wrong. I think that language has no place in New York City.”
Shortly thereafter, he sent a statement to The New York Times in which he wrote, “The rhetoric and displays that we saw are wrong and have no place in our city.”
He added, “My team is in close touch with the NYPD regarding last night’s protest and counterprotest. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship, as well as the constitutional right to protest.”
Michael Starr contributed to this report.