Officials who refuse to condemn the anti-Semitic phrase are ‘inviting another 9/11,’ cousin of slain firefighter says
A relative of a firefighter killed on Sept. 11, 2001, said public officials who refuse to condemn phrases like “globalize the intifada” are “inviting another 9/11″—a clear swipe at socialist New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
“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,” Mike Weinstein said in New York City on Thursday during a remembrance ceremony for the Sept. 11 victims. “When political candidates and public officials refuse to condemn global terror and phrases like ‘globalize the intifada,’ they are inviting another 9/11, God forbid. And they continue to bring daily fear for all New Yorkers.”
“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,” Weinstein added.
Weinstein’s cousin, Stephen Belson, was a veteran firefighter who died saving people trapped in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His comments were a clear shot at Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in New York City’s mayoral race who has consistently defended the anti-Semitic slogan “globalize the intifada,” which is widely considered a call to commit violence against Jews. He has called it “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
Mamdani’s comments earned him a rebuke from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, calling attempts to “sanitize” the phrase “outrageous and especially offensive to survivors.”
“Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner,” the museum wrote in a June post. “All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”
Mamdani has long pushed anti-Israel rhetoric, refusing to acknowledge the Jewish state’s right to exist and expressing support for the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
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