Jumaane Williams rebukes Giuliani over call to exclude Mamdani from 9/11

Jumaane WilliamsNew York City public advocate

Williams sharply rebuked Giuliani for calling on Mamdani to skip the commemoration.

“should have shut up”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)N.Y. officials rebuke Giuliani after he says Mamdani shouldn’t attend 9/11 memorialStatements by Mamdani, Hochul, James, and Schumer
New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani speaking outdoors

Where this statement fits

Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. George Pataki, and some relatives of September 11 victims said Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend the 2026 commemoration, citing concerns about his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would attend to honor victims, families, survivors, and first responders. Other elected officials and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize a ceremony meant for collective remembrance. The dispute is over the civic meaning and appropriateness of attendance, not over whether Mamdani has endorsed the September 11 attacks. Mamdani attended the 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero on September 11, 2026, shaking hands with Giuliani beforehand, and no protest took place. The argument over whether he should have been there continued after the ceremony, and the case remains open to record it.

Read the full case

Case updates

Mamdani attended the 9/11 memorial. Is the argument over?

Get an email if Giuliani, Pataki, victims' families or Mamdani add to the debate over his place at the ceremony.

Important updates only. Free. Confirm your email to start. Unsubscribe anytime. How we handle your email.

Source and context

Reporting

N.Y. officials rebuke Giuliani after he says Mamdani shouldn’t attend 9/11 memorial (opens in a new tab)Statements by Mamdani, Hochul, James, and Schumer

About this source

NY1 links Giuliani’s original Newsmax appearance and reports Mamdani’s response and direct statements supporting attendance from state and city leaders.

Before the quotation

Officials were responding to Giuliani's exclusion demand.

After the quotation

Williams did not provide a separate rationale about ceremony protocol in the cited excerpt.

How this statement is classified

Challenged the characterization

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The statement challenges the legitimacy of Giuliani's intervention rather than separately explaining attendance.

Recorded on
Published here
People and groups discussed
Zohran Mamdani

More from this case

Read the full case

Share or embed this statement

Quote card: Jumaane Williams, Jumaane Williams rebukes Giuliani over call to exclude Mamdani from 9/11Download image (PNG)

The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.

Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Jumaane Williams rebukes Giuliani over call to exclude Mamdani from 9/11
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/209-williams-sharply-rebuked-giuliani-for-calling-on-mamdani

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Jumaane Williams rebukes Giuliani over call to exclude Mamdani from 9/11". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/209-williams-sharply-rebuked-giuliani-for-calling-on-mamdani