Actress Patricia Heaton has thrown her support behind a growing effort to bar Democratic Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from this years 9/11 anniversary ceremony.
The Everybody Loves Raymond star weighed in on social media as a petition circulated urging that Mamdani be excluded from the 25th anniversary commemoration of the nearly 3,000 Americans murdered in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. As reported by Breitbart, Heaton amplified the campaign on Monday with a pointed message to residents of the city now led by a mayor whose record on terrorism and anti-American rhetoric has alarmed many of the families of the fallen.
Keep it going New Yorkers, Heaton wrote in an X post, sharing the petition and aligning herself with those who argue that Mamdanis presence would dishonor the solemn nature of the event. In the same post, she highlighted a message from a New Yorker emphasizing the origins of the effort: The petition was drafted by someone who lost their family member on 9/11.
The petition, which had garnered more than 43,000 signatures at the time of writing, urges organizers to carefully consider whether Mamdanis participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy. It opens with a direct appeal from those most scarred by that day: The family members of those murdered on 9/11, write to express our concern regarding the potential inclusion of Zohran Mamdani in the 25th-year commemorative events.
The families statement underscores that their objections are rooted in values they believe should be non-negotiable at a 9/11 memorial. Concerns have been raised about Mamdanis public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric that many perceive as hostile to these shared values, the petition notes, warning that his record runs counter to the unity and moral clarity the ceremony is meant to embody.
One of the most searing voices in the petition comes from a relative of a victim who directly challenges Mamdanis moral fitness to attend. The quote, shared in Heatons post, declares that Mamdani is disqualified from attending the 9/11 remembrance ceremony and ought be barred, before adding, My brother David was murdered by terrorists on 9/11 at the WTC. I am incensed that a terrorist excuser is now Mayor, and outspoken sympathizer for terrorist perpetrators.
The petition details a series of specific grievances, beginning with Mamdanis perceived reluctance to clearly and unequivocally condemn phrases such as globalize the intifada, which many interpret as endorsing or normalizing violence. For families who watched radical Islamist terror strike the World Trade Center, such equivocation is seen not as nuance but as a dangerous tolerance for rhetoric that glorifies political violence.
Concerned relatives also cite Mamdanis praise for Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam, was named as an alleged co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and served as a character witness for the Blind Sheikh, who was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks against the United States. They argue that such admiration for figures tied to anti-American extremism is incompatible with leading a city that remains a prime target for terrorism.
The petition further notes that Mamdani has blamed the United States for radicalizing Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda propagandist linked to the 9/11 hijackers. Critics have likened this to blaming victims rather than perpetrators, a stance that deeply offends those who lost loved ones to al-Qaedas murderous ideology.
Families also object to Mamdanis personnel and political choices, pointing out that Mamdani appointed Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi (convicted in an al-Qaeda tanker bombing plot), as New York Citys chief counsel. They add that Mamdani has endorsed candidates such as Aber Kawas, who described 9/11 as an attack a couple of people did in the context of U.S. capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia, and who also expressed sympathy for Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue.
The petition notes that Mamdani recently stood with DSA primary winner Darializa Aria Chevalier, who once tweeted, I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me. For families who regard the flag as a symbol draped over the coffins of their loved ones, such associations are seen as a direct affront to patriotism and basic respect for the nation.
The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain, the petition warns, stressing that the ceremony must not become a platform for those who minimize or rationalize extremism. The 25th anniversary should remain centered on remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day, it continues, adding, Ensuring that all participants reflect these principles is essential to preserving the integrity of the commemoration.
Heaton is not alone in voicing support for the families demand that Mamdani be kept away from the memorial. Actor James Woods, a frequent critic of the left, echoed the outrage during a Monday appearance on conservative commentator Benny Johnsons The Benny Show podcast, asking with incredulous laughter, Whats going to happen on September 11? Is Mamdani gonna go speak at the World Trade Center site?
Johnson replied by noting that some of the 9/11 families have been asking him not to, underscoring that this is not a partisan stunt but a plea from those who still carry the heaviest burden of that day. As the 25th anniversary approaches, the clash over Mamdanis participation highlights a broader divide between Americans who insist on moral clarity about terrorism and those in progressive circles who seem more eager to rationalize or contextualize it than to condemn it outright.
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