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The cousin of a firefighter who died on 9/11 took a veiled jab at New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani during an anniversary ceremony on Thursday in Manhattan for his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada.”
Mike Weinstein, 61, was honoring his cousin, Stephen Belson, a veteran firefighter who lost his life while working to save stranded people in the World Trade Center’s South Tower.
Weinstein called on all politicians to renounce terror and violence, and said they are “inviting another 9/11” if they refuse to do so and choose not to condemn phrases like “globalize the intifada.”
ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYS HE WILL DISCOURAGE ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE
“I know my cousin Steve and many, many others would agree with me when I say, let’s continue to press all politicians, including those who went home already, to firmly renounce terror and violence,” he said. “When political candidates and public officials refuse to condemn global terror and phrases such as ‘globalize the intifada,’ they are inviting another 9/11, God forbid, and they continue to bring daily fear for all New Yorkers.”
“Enough. Enough is enough,” he continued. “Twenty-four years later, we need all political candidates, including every single potential future mayor — and you know who I’m talking about — of this great city to speak out against terror and unite as freedom-loving New Yorkers. God bless America, land of the free and home of the brave.”
“Globalize the intifada” is an anti-Zionist slogan calling for international support for Palestinian resistance against Israel that has been criticized as a call for violence against Israelis and Jews.
Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase throughout his campaign for the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination, which he secured in June, although he reaffirmed earlier this week he would “discourage” that language.
He suggested his position had shifted after speaking with Jewish leaders and learning about the gap between the slogan’s intention and its harmful impact on many Jewish New Yorkers.
NEW YORKERS SKEPTICAL AFTER ZOHRAN MAMDANI DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PHRASE ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’
Mamdani said earlier this summer that the phrase shows “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights” but later clarified amid backlash that it is “not language that I use.”
“The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” Mamdani said during an appearance on NBC.
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