Giovanni Galante, the lead organizer of a petition that garnered over 113,000 signatures from 9/11 families urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary memorial ceremonies, expressed disappointment in the mayor's decision to attend. However, Galante affirmed he has no regrets about initiating the petition.
"Of course we're disappointed after all the time and work we put into it... but in the end he's mayor and did what he wanted," Galante told The Post on Saturday. Galante, whose wife Grace was killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks, stated he felt compelled to act due to Mamdani's past remarks and associations, which he described as historically being an "Islamic terror apologist."
"I didn't want to go through this really – I'm not an advocate, but I'm glad I did," said Galante, a real estate agent originally from Brooklyn. "And I would do it again, 100 percent! I never expected to get over 113,000 signatures – 113,000 is humongous – I would have been happy with 3,000... We must never forget [the victims]." He estimated that thousands of the petition signatures came directly from family members of 9/11 victims. Mamdani's past statements and connections to individuals perceived as hostile to the U.S. had made his planned attendance a point of contention for months. Despite the criticism, the mayor proceeded with his attendance.
Galante indicated that he and other family members were prepared to express their disapproval directly to Mamdani at the ceremony. However, event organizers seated elected officials separately from family members, a practice consistent with previous anniversary events.
Regarding a viral video clip showing Mamdani briefly laughing with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during the reading of victims' names, Galante suggested the moment could have been taken out of context. "That easily be taken out of context because it's unclear what they were talking about," he said.
Galante also acknowledged Mamdani's presence for the entirety of the approximately five-hour ceremony, calling him one of the few elected officials to remain for the duration.
Charles G. Wolf, another critic of Mamdani whose wife was killed in the World Trade Center, recalled turning his back on the mayor in April when Mamdani met with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Ground Zero memorial. Wolf stated he was "impressed" that Mamdani stayed until the end of Friday's ceremony. He approached Mamdani afterward to introduce himself and express appreciation for the respect shown to the victims. "I said I really appreciate the respect you showed for our loved ones and for doing what a mayor should do," Wolf recalled. "We shook hands and he said, 'Thank you for your feedback.'"
