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Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gillibrand says Mamdani should denounce calls for ‘intifada'
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called on New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the apparent Democratic nominee, to denounce the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' Gillibrand said in response to a question from a caller during an appearance on radio host Brian Lehrer's WNYC show that she's heard from New York constituents who are 'alarmed' by some public statements Mamdani has made defending those who call for global intifada. 'This is a very serious issue, because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities. The global intifada is a statement that means destroy Israel and kill all the Jews,' she argued. 'These are the kinds of things that, if Mr. Mamdani is elected our mayor, will need to assure all New Yorkers that he will protect all Jews and protect houses of worship and protect funding for not-for-profits that meet the needs of these communities,' Gillibrand continued. The meaning of the phrase has caused significant debate, particularly since Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and throughout the war that has ensued. It also became a point of criticism directed at Mamdani leading up to this week's Democratic mayoral primary. Many pro-Palestinian activists and many Arab people have said the phrase means Palestinians fighting for their rights and liberation from Israeli occupation. Many pro-Israel activists and many Jewish people view it as calling for violence against Jews, referencing the first and second intifadas that took place in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, during which Palestinians in both Palestinian territories and Israel engaged in an uprising in which significant violence occurred and many on both sides were killed. Mamdani faced criticism as the primary approached over an interview he gave last week in which he said 'what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.' He made a comparison between those calls for intifada and the Warsaw ghetto uprising that took place during the Holocaust in which Jews fought back against the Nazis and some escaped. He cited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., noting the museum used the word 'intifada' when translating the Warsaw Uprising into Arabic, as intifada means 'struggle.' This led to the museum issuing a rare statement denouncing the comparison, calling it 'offensive to survivors.' Mamdani has responded to the criticism by maintaining he would be a major for all New Yorkers and is committed to protecting his Jewish constituents against rising antisemitism. Gillibrand said she had spoken to him about this issue and that he agreed to work with her to protect all residents of the city. 'These are things that he has assured me in my one conversation that he will protect everyone, but I understand why people are concerned, because of past statements,' she said. 'This is just an issue that I will work with him on, for sure.' Gillibrand also said Mamdani referenced the word 'jihad,' but her communications director later said in a post on X that she misspoke and her concern was Mamdani's refusal to denounce 'globalize the intifada.' 'As a leader of a city as diverse as New York City, with 8 million people, as the largest Jewish population in the country, he should denounce it,' she said, referring to the intifada phrase. 'That's it. Period. You can't celebrate it. You can't value it. You can't lift it up. That is the challenge that Jewish New Yorkers have had certainly since … Oct. 7. It is exactly what they have felt.' Gillibrand said she's not endorsing Mamdani right now but congratulated him on his victory in the primary. The Hill has reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment. Mamdani seems all but certain to become the Democratic nominee for mayor, scoring a major upset against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The 33-year-old progressive hasn't formally been declared the winner yet, but Cuomo conceded the primary and Mamdani declared victory. Cuomo has been considering whether to continue in the general election as an independent. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Time Out
07-07-2025
- Time Out
The 100-mile-long NYC Century Bike Tour is coming back after six years
Dust off your spandex and grease that chain: the NYC Century Bike Tour is back. After a six-year break, the city's legendary 100-mile ride returns on Sunday, September 21 and New York's cycling community is ready to roll. Billed as the only urban century ride in the U.S., the NYC Century isn't your average park loop. Organized by Transportation Alternatives and revived in partnership with WNYC, this year's tour honors the late Roger Herz, a transit advocate and TA co-founder. His estate helped bring the ride back for a one-time return, now officially called the Roger Herz Memorial NYC Century Bike Tour. Launched in 1990 with just 200 riders, the event grew into a major cycling milestone, attracting over 5,000 participants at its peak. The route covers four boroughs (sorry, Staten Island), with riders cruising through parks, along greenways and across 100 miles of NYC streets—grit, cracks and all. Not ready for the full century? No problem. A 15-mile family-friendly route will be offered, with more options expected to be announced soon. The course won't shut down streets, but it will include marked paths, staffed rest stops and a Finish Festival at the end. Training tips from veterans? You don't need to be in pro-peloton shape, but a decent bike, plenty of carbs and a padded seat go a long way. 'What suffers is your ass,' one rider told Gothamist. Still, it's not about speed—it's about showing up and seeing the city in a new way. Registration is now open: $105 for adults, $60 for children under 14. Rental bikes are available through Bicycle Habitat.
Politico
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Gillibrand apologizes to Mamdani over ‘jihad' comments
Mamdani would be the city's first Muslim mayor. Gillibrand was on WNYC's 'The Brian Lehrer Show' Thursday when a caller to the radio program asked about holding Mamdani accountable for 'glorifying' Hamas. Mamdani has declined to condemn people using the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' even though he said he doesn't use it himself, and once rapped his support for the 'Holy Land Five' who were convicted for running a charity that funded Hamas. Gillibrand said that Jewish New Yorkers were alarmed by Mamdani's past statements. And when Lehrer noted that there's no evidence of Mamdani himself supporting Hamas or violent jihad, she reacted defensively and said she would like to sit down with Mamdani and talk through the issues with him. Gillibrand also said he should denounce the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' The senator's comments and tone were met with outrage from Mamdani supporters, some of whom protested outside her office and called for her resignation. They even earned her an apparent rebuke from Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul: 'No one should be subjected to any comments that slur their ethnicity, their religious beliefs, and we condemn that anywhere it rears its head in the state of New York.' The statement from Hochul came after she was asked by a reporter to 'comment on the racism [Mamdani] is already facing, including from New York's own Kirsten Gillibrand.' Gillibrand had previously backed away from her comment, with her office releasing a statement Friday saying she 'misspoke.' Gillibrand and Mamdani had previously spoken by phone on Wednesday when she congratulated him the day after winning the Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani campaign spokesperson Andrew Epstein confirmed the Monday night call, adding that the apology was accepted and the two agreed to 'set a path to move forward productively.'
Int'l Business Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Democratic Senator Walks Back Her Words After Backlash for Suggesting Socialist NYC Candidate Supported 'Global Jihad'
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is walking back explosive comments accusing New York City's newly selected Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, of supporting "global jihad." On June 26, during an appearance on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show," Gillibrand amplified a caller's claims that Mamdani endangered the Jewish community. She repeated unsubstantiated allegations that Mamdani supported "global jihad" and glorified violence against Jews, misrepresenting activist slogans like "globalize the intifada" and mischaracterizing Mamdani's views. "The caller is exactly the New York constituents that I've spoken to that are alarmed. They are alarmed by past public statements. They are alarmed by past positions – particularly references to global jihad," Gillibrand said. "This is a very serious issue, because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities." A model backstage prior to the presentation of Atsushi Nakashima's Fall-Winter 2023-2024 Women's collection on Sunday AFP Despite being corrected multiple times during the interview, Gillibrand insisted Mamdani's prior statements had created fear. By Friday, facing mounting criticism, Gillibrand's office said she "misspoke," Huffpost reported. The remarks drew sharp condemnation from elected officials. New York City Councilmember Lincoln Restler accused Gillibrand of repeating "divisive Republican fear-mongering," and Sen. Chris Van Hollen called out the "blatant" and "latent" Islamophobia in the response to Mamdani's win. Meanwhile, Mamdani reiterated Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he does not use controversial phrases and instead grounds his leadership in universal human rights. Mamdani, a Muslim American and progressive state legislator, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last week, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a surprise upset. His campaign faced frequent Islamophobic attacks from the right, but the rhetoric escalated after his victory, with accusations now coming from within his own party. Suits were on display at the Fendi show and elsewhere AFP Originally published on Latin Times
Fox News
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urges Zohran Mamdani to denounce 'globalize the intifada' rhetoric
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called on New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to denounce the phrase "globalize the Intifada" during a heated exchange with WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer on Thursday. Gillibrand urged Mamdani to unequivocally denounce the phrase — which she argues is received by the public as a call to "slaughter the Jews" — after a caller accused the candidate of glorifying Hamas and the violent attacks associated with the intifada terrorism campaign launched against Israel in the 1990s. "The caller is exactly the New York constituents that I've spoken to that are alarmed. They are alarmed by past public statements. They are alarmed by past positions, particularly references to global jihad," she said. "This is a very serious issue because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities. The global intifada is a statement that means destroy Israel and kill all the Jews." The New York senator then called on Mamdani to assure all New Yorkers that "he will protect all Jews and protect houses of worship and protect funding for not-for-profits that meet the needs of these communities." Lehrer pushed back on her insinuation that Mamdani had called for a "global intifada," asking if she doubted his prior statements committing to protecting Jewish people in New York City. "One of the issues I did talk to him about yesterday was exactly this issue, and he has agreed to work with me on this and to protect all residents," Gillibrand replied. After their conversation about Mamdani was briefly derailed by another caller's question, Lehrer jumped right back into their discussion once the Senator finished her response. "On Mamdani, I just feel compelled to say we can find no evidence that he has supported Hamas or has supported violent jihad, as that caller was asserting. Can you?" he questioned. Gillibrand asserted that while she doesn't have "all the data and information" in front of her, she did recall Mamdani referencing "global intifada," and noted that she had requested an in-person meeting with the mayoral hopeful to discuss these issues. The radio host pushed back on the senator once again, claiming that Mamdani clarified to him on his show on Monday that calls for a global intifada "are not calls for violence because intifada is a much broader term involving all kinds of uprisings and resistance and things like that." "Brian, I didn't hear your exchange with him, but if I was speaking to him directly, I would simply say that is not how the words are received," she countered. "It doesn't matter what meaning you have in your brain. It is not how the word is received. When you use a word like intifada — to many Jewish Americans and Jewish New Yorkers, that means you are permissive of violence against Jews." The two continued their back and forth before Gillibrand left listeners with one final message for Mamdani. "If you talk to any group, you talk to our LGBTQ community, you talk to our Black community, you talk to our Hispanic community, there are words and there are imagery and there are things that are said that they will hear it and feel it as a dagger to their throat. If you want to be a leader, you have to recognize how these things are felt and received," she contended. "Saying there should be no word police is irresponsible, because, as a leader, you have to protect everyone. Period," Gillibrand added. Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Mamdani for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
