Exclusive | Columbus Parade boss invites Italian-slighting Mayor Mamdani to march, enraging some: Hes no paisan

Organizers of Manhattan’s Columbus Day Parade have extended an olive branch to Mayor Zohran Mamdani by inviting him to march on Fifth Avenue next month, despite his history of slighting Italian Americans.Christopher Loiacono, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, said the nonprofit group is willing to look past the socialist mayor’s past rocky relationship with Italian Americans — and his loathing of the famed but controversial explorer – because it wants to broker a better relationship with City Hall.“We feel cooperating is always the better path ..

.and we hope to create a good relationship with his office,” Loiacono told The Post this week.

“We hope he will be more open to [working] with the Italian community.”Some Italian-American leaders were outraged by the invite, including Mike Crispi, president of the Italian American Civil Rights League.He ripped it as a “weak gesture.” “I think that he should be coming to Italian Americans hat in hand, groveling for an apology for all the insulting and hateful rhetoric that he’s put on our people over the last couple of years,” Crispi said.Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said Mamdani should stay away.“This is a man who has made it clear that he doesn’t respect Christopher Columbus, and he doesn’t even think us enough of a group to put on his immigrant enclave map,” said Ariola.

“Why would he want to be there? To get pictures and pretend he’s a paisan now? He should sit this one out.”Invitations to participate in the Oct.12 parade were sent out to Mamdani and other elected officials last week.

Although Mamdani as of Friday had yet to respond, Loiacono said he’s hopeful Hizzoner will attend.Crispi said he doesn’t think Mamdani has the meatballs to show.“He knows he’ll be booed off the block very quickly,” he said.“This is the mayor who likes to be a social media guy and do his little curated videos, but in real life, he’s loathed by the real people w...