Mamdani Met With Boos and Chants at Union Square Vigil Marking Three Years Since October 7

Mamdani Met With Boos and Chants at Union Square Vigil Marking Three Years Since October 7

New York, October 8, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was met with loud boos, heckling and chants when he arrived at a candlelight vigil in Union Square on Wednesday, held to mark three years since the October 7, 2023 attacks.

The reception underscored the tension surrounding the anniversary in a city with one of the largest Jewish populations in the world, and where debate over the war in Gaza has often dominated local politics.

Earlier in the day, Mamdani issued a statement on the anniversary that addressed the ongoing war in Gaza. In it, he said that “the suffering did not begin nor end that day.”

He said the suffering “instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Mamdani said the campaign has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, including more than 21,000 children. He added that more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the so-called ceasefire took effect.

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Mamdani’s use of the word “genocide” is a position he has stated publicly. The Israeli government rejects the term and says its military operations in Gaza were launched in response to the October 7 attacks, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed roughly 1,200 people in southern Israel and took hundreds of hostages.

The casualty figures cited by the mayor are consistent with those reported by Gaza’s health authorities, which do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The mayor’s remarks and his appearance at the vigil drew sharply different reactions, reflecting the deep divisions over how the anniversary should be remembered.

Some attendees saw his message as a necessary acknowledgment of Palestinian suffering. Others felt it overshadowed the day’s purpose of mourning the victims of October 7.Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on the vigil.

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