A relative of a firefighter killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks used the annual Manhattan remembrance Thursday to call on public officials to condemn the phrase "globalize the Intifada," taking a veiled shot at elected figure Zohran Mamdani.
Mike Weinstein, 61, of Syosset, told attendees at the 24th annual ceremony that officials who refuse to denounce the slogan are "inviting another 9/11, God forbid," drawing applause from veterans, elected leaders and family members gathered near Ground Zero. Weinstein was honoring his cousin, Stephen Belson, a 23-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department assigned to Ladder 24 Engine 1 who died in the South Tower while trying to rescue tenants.
Weinstein told the crowd that his cousin and other first responders would have expected public officials to "firmly renounce terror and violence," and called on every political candidate, including those he indirectly referenced, to speak out. "When political candidates and public officials refuse to condemn global terror and phrases such as 'globalize the intifada' they are inviting another 9/11," he said. "Enough. Enough is enough. It's 24 years later. We need all political candidates ... to speak out against terror, and unite as freedom-loving New Yorkers."
Zohran Mamdani, whose name was not mentioned directly by Weinstein but who has been the subject of criticism for his remarks about the slogan, has publicly declined to condemn the phrase while advising people not to use it. In a July interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Mamdani said, "That's not language that I use," and added that the language he employs "is grounded in a belief in universal human rights." He has faced scrutiny from some survivors' relatives and political opponents for stopping short of an explicit denunciation.
Thursday's ceremony drew the Democratic mayoral nominee and other local and national officials, according to attendees and remarks made at the event. Family members, first responders and civic leaders observed moments of silence, tributes and speeches throughout the morning near the footprints of the former towers.
Weinstein, an account of his cousin's life and service framed his remarks: Belson was remembered as a former swimmer, surfer and lifeguard from Rockaway Beach who served two decades with the FDNY. Weinstein said he was speaking for relatives and constituents worried that political rhetoric that does not explicitly reject calls for violence contributes to persistent fear in the city.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions in New York politics over rhetoric connected to the Israel-Hamas war and public responses to calls for international protest or resistance. Critics say some slogans have been interpreted as endorsing violence; supporters of speakers like Mamdani say translation and context matter and that their primary focus is on human rights.
Organizers and officials at the remembrance continued to emphasize the memorial's purpose: honoring the victims and first responders who died in the attacks and reaffirming commitments to public safety. Weinstein concluded his remarks by invoking unity and national resolve, ending with, "God bless America. Land of the free and home of the brave."