Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrived at a New York City park on Wednesday night for an October 7 vigil that was overrun by hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters.
The demonstrators swamped the area of Union Square Park that was supposed to host the event held by Israelis for Peace, a left-wing peace group. The organizers moved the vigil to a nearby spot in the park surrounded by police barricades as speakers struggled to be heard above the protesters. Attendees held electrically lit candles and signs reading, “Not one more life.”
Upon learning Mamdani was present, the pro-Palestinian protesters broke into a chant of “Traitor!” and “Zohran, what do you say? How many boots did you lick today?”
One protester yelled at Israelis for Peace organizers: “We don’t want peace with Israelis, bro! We sent your people to hell on October 7.” Other protesters wielded megaphones and drums while chanting anti-Israel slogans, including “Gaza will be liberated!”
The mayor stood solemnly throughout the event and did not speak at the vigil or address the protesters.
Protesters yell over testimonies of October 7 massacre
Amid the cacophony, Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee running to represent parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in Congress, took a microphone to recite the words of the mother of a 20-year-old man who was murdered at the Nova music festival three years ago. He looked visibly shaken as the evening progressed, watching the protesters while speakers shared testimonies of people killed on October 7.
Speakers also shared testimonies of Palestinians killed by the Israel Defense Forces, and the event included the group being led in a Muslim prayer.
The vigil ended with the participants raising their candles and reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer honoring the dead. As they filed out of the event, the protesters shouted “Death to the IDF!”
Earlier in the evening, protesters were seen grabbing the electric candles and mockingly singing the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila.”
Protesters call Mamdani 'ambassador of Zionism'
Another protester in the vigil area shouted out his disapproval of Mamdani: “He’s 100% Muslim but as of now, he stands as an ambassador of Zionism and US imperialism.”
Someone else carried a poster depicting Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who helped mastermind the attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people three years ago, Wednesday.
Amid the rival gatherings, Ross Glick, a New York pro-Israel activist and former executive director of Betar US, a militant Zionist group, arrived with a group of counter-protesters holding Israeli flags. They were swiftly confronted by anti-Israel protesters. The two sides got into a shouting match as they stood separated by a barrier.
The pro-Palestinian protesters had held a rally at City Hall before heading to the location of the vigil. They condemned Israel and the United States for the war in Gaza, but also criticized Mamdani for capitulating “to Zionist pressure.”
The throng of protesters outside City Hall chanted “Free Palestine,” “Globalize the intifada,” “Resistance is justified when people are occupied,” and “Israel is a terrorist state.”
One protester held a sign reading “Operation Epstein Fury,” a play on Operation Epic Fury. Another held a sign that read “Liberation in action October 7.” Nearby, an Israeli flag was held up with the text “Death cult.”
Despite the war of words, both gatherings disbanded peacefully. No arrests were made.