NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani criticized for 'intifada' remarks

Zohran Mamdani drew pushback from Jewish organizations and political leaders this week after he appeared to defend the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat running for mayor of New York, drew pushback from Jewish organizations and political leaders this week after he appeared to defend the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

In an interview with The Bulwark posted Tuesday, Mamdani was asked whether the expression made him uncomfortable. In response, he said the slogan captured “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.” He said the U.S. Holocaust Museum had used the word “intifada” in Arabic-language descriptions of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against Nazi Germany.

Mamdani, a progressive New York State Assemblyman who has forcefully criticized the Israeli government, also addressed the rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack and the war in Gaza, saying anti-Jewish prejudice was “a real issue in our city” and one that the next mayor should focus on “tackling.” He added that he believes the city’s community safety offices should increase funding for anti-hate crime measures.

The Washington-based U.S. Holocaust Museum sharply condemned Mamdani’s remarks Wednesday on X: “Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”

The museum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how it had translated the Warsaw Uprising into Arabic.