Radical Left Turns on Own Mayor at Oct 7 Vigil

Liberty Check

• Protesters disrupted a solemn vigil honoring victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
• Radical activists attacked a sitting mayor for insufficient loyalty to their anti-Israel agenda.
• The episode highlights how identity politics and far-left extremism continue to fracture public discourse.

Anti-Israel activists descended on a New York vigil marking the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. More than 100 demonstrators marched from City Hall to Union Square, where they beat drums and attempted to drown out speakers mourning the victims.

Inside the barricades, Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a candle as the crowd outside hurled insults. Protesters accused him of genocide, shouted “Zohran, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” and chanted “Traitor, traitor, come on out! You sold all your people out!”

“Zohran, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide!” the group declared. They further claimed he could no longer “weaponize being brown anymore” and that “identity politics can only get you so far.”

One self-described former intern alleged Mamdani “was never working for the people.” Others demanded he halt real-estate events marketing properties in Israeli settlements, which they call “stolen” Palestinian land, and called for abolishing the City University of New York Board of Trustees over its alleged ties to Israel.

Despite the attacks, Mamdani has long criticized Israeli policy. In a Wednesday statement he condemned the Hamas attacks as a “horrific war crime” while labeling Israel’s response a “genocide” that killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, including over 21,000 children.

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called the mayor’s remarks “egregious and insulting.” “There are 364 days of the year to focus on that,” he said. “This is a day that should just be focused on what was by all agreement a horrific terror attack.”

Israel has rejected genocide accusations, stating its military targets Hamas while striving to minimize civilian harm. The protest episode underscores deepening divisions on the left and the corrosive effect of radical identity politics on national unity.

Our freedoms depend on staying vigilant.