Maureen Santora

Portrait of Maureen Santora

Mother of firefighter Christopher Santora, who was killed in the September 11 attacks.

What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Maureen Santora on September 11 Attacks. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Maureen Santora

Portrait of Maureen Santora

Maureen Santora

Role at the time: 9/11 family member

Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

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”
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
Why we used this label

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

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

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

Relationship to this case: Speaker

Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, and some September 11 victims’ relatives opposed Zohran Mamdani attending the 2026 memorial, citing his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would honor victims; other elected officials and a family group said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize the commemoration.

IslamophobiaSeptember 11 AttacksUpdated