9/11 Controversy: Hochul Confirms Mayor Attending — Families Outraged

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has confirmed that Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend Friday's 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, rejecting calls from some victims' families and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to stay away. The controversy has deepened following a separate incident in which Mamdani signed a 9/11 executive order and handed a ceremonial pen to an aide who previously represented a convicted al-Qaeda member.

NEW YORK – A bitter dispute over who should be allowed to attend the 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial has escalated into a full-blown political firestorm, with Governor Kathy Hochul publicly backing Mayor Zohran Mamdani's decision to participate while victims' families plead with him to stay away .

"Division should not prevail over the spirit of unity that brought us together after September 11th," Hochul posted on X on Tuesday. "On this 25th anniversary, we should honor those we lost by coming together again as New Yorkers and Americans. The Mayor of New York City will be there, as he should be" .

'It Offends Me That He's Coming'

The push to bar Mamdani from the ceremony has been led by a coalition of 9/11 families, first responders, and former officials . An online petition organized by Giovanni Galante, whose wife Grace was killed in the attacks, has garnered more than 100,000 signatures .

"The purpose of the 25th anniversary is for victims and survivors to come together and pray, not have a circus around us," Galante said at a City Hall press briefing on Tuesday .

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who led New York City during the 2001 attacks, has been among the most vocal critics, telling Newsmax: "Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he's going" .

Giuliani also made controversial remarks linking Mamdani's Muslim faith to the ideology of the 9/11 attackers — comments that Hochul condemned as "wildly inappropriate" .

The Pen Controversy

The controversy intensified last week after Mamdani signed an executive order designating Sept. 11 as an annual "citywide day of remembrance and service" and then handed the ceremonial pen to his chief legal counsel, Ramzi Kassem .

Kassem previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, a convicted al-Qaeda operative whose sister married Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the 9/11 hijackers who participated in the attack on the Pentagon . Critics have seized on the gesture as a direct insult to 9/11 families.

"It shows exactly where his loyalties truly lie," said Republican Council Member Joann Ariola, calling the stunt "breathtakingly tone-deaf and disrespectful" .

Another social media user wrote: "Handing the ceremonial pen from a 9/11 executive order to a lawyer who defended an Al-Qaeda terrorist isn't just tone deaf — it's a direct insult to every family that bled on that dark day" .

A Divided Community

The controversy has exposed deep divisions within the 9/11 community itself. While many families have signed the petition urging Mamdani to stay away, others have called for unity .

Liz Miller, whose firefighter father was killed on 9/11, told CNN she is frustrated the ceremony has become caught up in partisan politics. "There's so many of us that there's never going to be a unanimous thought amongst the community, which I think is a gift," she said. "But I do think that it is 25 years later, it is time that there is some unity" .

The Mayor's Response

Mamdani has remained defiant, confirming he will attend the ceremony and dozens of other events marking the anniversary .

"I'm proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country," Mamdani told reporters. "What I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11th, and a focus also on the first responders who gave everything they could to this city" .

When asked about Giuliani's comments, Mamdani said: "I don't have much more to add" .

What's Next

Friday's ceremony at Ground Zero will include the reading of victims' names. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are expected to attend, along with Vice President JD Vance, who will represent the White House .

Mamdani's schedule includes visits to NYPD and FDNY ceremonies, as well as the main Ground Zero commemoration . Whether he will be met with silent protest from grieving families — or embraced by those who support his right to attend — remains to be seen .