Maureen Santora says she hopes Mamdani stays silent at 9/11 ceremony

Maureen Santora9/11 family member

Santora objected to Mamdani speaking but did not explicitly demand that he be absent.

“I just hope that he doesn’t say a single word”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)9/11 relatives discuss Mamdani’s planned attendance at memorial ceremonyReported remarks by Maureen Santora and Angie Pesce
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.

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Case updates

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Source and context

Reporting

9/11 relatives discuss Mamdani’s planned attendance at memorial ceremony (opens in a new tab)Reported remarks by Maureen Santora and Angie Pesce

About this source

Reports individual family-member reactions originally published by the New York Post, including a criticism of Mamdani's motive and a request that he remain silent.

Before the quotation

Santora discussed Mamdani's announced plan to attend.

After the quotation

She said many family members would be upset if he spoke.

How this statement is classified

Mixed or conditional

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

Why this label?

Her stated condition concerns silence at the ceremony, not attendance itself.

Recorded on
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People and groups discussed
Zohran Mamdani

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Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
Maureen Santora says she hopes Mamdani stays silent at 9/11 ceremony
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/229-santora-objected-to-mamdani-speaking-but-did-not

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

The Dispute Index. "Maureen Santora says she hopes Mamdani stays silent at 9/11 ceremony". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/229-santora-objected-to-mamdani-speaking-but-did-not