Giovanni Galante says Mamdani's 9/11 attendance would disrespect families
Giovanni Galante9/11 widower and petition organizer
Galante said Mamdani's presence would disrespect families because of people the mayor supports.
“having Mamdani there would show a disrespect to our family members”
Reporting
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.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
CBS New York interview with petition organizer Giovanni Galante, plus Mamdani's response and institutional context from the memorial.
Before the quotation
Galante discussed why he helped organize the petition.
After the quotation
Mamdani responded that he would attend to honor families, survivors, and first responders.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
He organized the exclusion petition and explicitly objected to attendance.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Zohran Mamdani
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Emma Vigeland calls Mamdani's handshake with Giuliani at the 9/11 ceremony masterful
“To recap: 1) Giuliani went on a racist rant about Muslims and said he'd be "offended" if Mamdani attended the 9/11 ceremony 2) Mamdani released thousands of documents on 9/11 air quality that implicate Giuliani 3) Mamdani shakes his hand with a smile at the ceremony Masterful.”Read statement
Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands
“Too many people online seem to conflate left politics with being obnoxious and scathing and Mamdani is such a model for combining a principled ideological vision with civility and grace. You shake hands, you act like a grown up even whether others aren't. You show up.”Read statement
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- Giovanni Galante says Mamdani's 9/11 attendance would disrespect families
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Giovanni Galante says Mamdani's 9/11 attendance would disrespect families". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/218-galante-said-mamdani-s-presence-would-disrespect-families