Scores of New Yorkers, including some families victimized by the Sept.11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, are asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the annual memorial service at Ground Zero — a call he is not heeding.Mamdani is set to attend the annual remembrance ceremony on Friday at Ground Zero, which is an invitation-only event attended by victims’ families, dignitaries and other invited guests.
Hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the event begins at 8:30 a.m.Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W.
Bush are also expected to attend.A petition launched by relatives of 9/11 victims, which has since garnered roughly 110,000 signatures, asks Mamdani to stay home on Friday, citing his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel.Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to war-crimes charges."For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony—it is a deeply personal day of mourning.
The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain," the petition reads.9/11 FAMILIES PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OVER 'HOSTILE' RECORDNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during an unveiling ceremony for a new 9/11 Memorial Wall at One Police Plaza on Sept.9, 2026, in New York City.
(Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)"The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day.
Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration."The controversy intensified after Mamdani handed a ceremonial pen used to sign 9/11-related executive orders to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to pass it to Kassem.Critics on so...