Want back in their good graces? Pro-Hamas protesters who heckled Mayor Zohran Mamdani at an October 7 vigil have a key demand: fire his Jewish police commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
Several protesters at the vigil told a reporter that firing Tisch as NYPD commissioner was a key step for Mamdani to win them over. At a rally outside City Hall earlier in the day, speakers criticized the mayor for keeping Tisch in the role, according to The Times of Israel.
The protesters accused Mamdani of betraying their cause by attending the vigil, which marked the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre. They yelled and booed throughout as Mamdani stared straight ahead without acknowledging the criticism. Some waved Hamas flags, and others shouted “Long Live Hamas!” to drown out speakers. One shouted, “You opportunist piece of sh*t” and “Shame on you.” Others chanted, “Traitor!” and “Zohran, what do you say? How many boots did you lick today?” They accused Mamdani of “honoring a genocide” by attending the vigil commemorating the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The chants were so loud that attendees struggled to hear the testimony speakers read aloud. Brad Lander, the Mamdani-endorsed Democratic nominee to represent New York’s 10th Congressional District, said he was saddened that the protesters drowned out the testimony, but praised Mamdani’s handling of the day and credited him for attending despite the anticipated backlash.
“From where I sit, Mamdani is a very strong supporter of Palestinian freedom and human rights,” Lander said. “I don’t know what world leaders have done more.”
Pro-Israel critics, meanwhile, argued that Mamdani had betrayed New York’s Jewish community through his official actions. They criticized his anniversary statement for devoting much of its focus to accusing Israel of “genocide.”
“The suffering did not begin nor end that day,” Mamdani said. “It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed.”
New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-NY) called the statement “another disgraceful comment from the mayor.”
“He couldn’t just offer a simple condolence and condemnation of the 10/7 atrocities. Instead, he had to devote 60% of the statement to lies about Israel designed to stir hatred of Jewish people under the guise of ‘anti-Zionism’, which has already been used to attack Jewish businesses and synagogues and students across the city and the world,” she said.
The Israeli Consulate in New York also invited Mamdani to a screening of footage documenting the October 7 atrocities, but he did not attend.
After the vigil, Mamdani went to dine at Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side run by the Ayat chain for a closed-door meeting with Palestinian New Yorkers. Its menu features a map labeling the territory encompassing Israel as Palestine, without identifying Israel.
The menu also reads, “Community dinners, charitable initiatives, and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome are central to who we are. At Ayat, the table is open to all.”
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