Mamdani marks first Oct. 7 anniversary as mayor by blasting Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide, facing protesters
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This story was originally published in the Forward . Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.
On the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel — his first commemoration as New York City’s mayor — Zohran Mamdani greeted the day with a message mourning the Israeli victims and the 251 people taken hostage then devoted the rest of the statement to condemning Israel’s war in Gaza as a “genocide” and accusing the U.S. government of complicity in Israeli war crimes.
“The suffering did not begin nor end that day,” Mamdani said in a 200-word statement , noting the Palestinian casualties of the war that was launched as a military campaign against Hamas. “Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment.”
Still, Mamdani’s statement and 10 months in office have failed to satisfy some of his supporters, including young activists who interrupted a vigil on Wednesday night where…
