Mamdani breaks silence after unearthed video exposing anti-police rhetoric goes viral

A controversial comparison between law enforcement and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) lands a socialist candidate for mayor of New York City Zahran Mamdani In hot water after an unearthed clip from the 2023 Socialist Convention went viral on social media.

“We have to make it clear that when the NYPD has a boot on your neck, that means the IDF has tied it,” Mamdani, who was a keynote speaker, said while speaking on a panel during the 2023 National Convention of the Democratic Socialists of America.

These comments add fuel to critics who have criticized Mamdani’s previous statements and views on law enforcement. Mamdani was forced to go on Fox News and apologize amid backlash over previous comments in which he said the NYPD should be defunded and that it is “racist, homophobic, and a major threat to public safety.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to — before we get to the next questions — I just wanted to address some questions,” Mamdani said during a 2023 DSA conference panel while drawing comparisons to the NYPD and the IDF. “In the first question, there was this setting of a context where this idea of ​​hyper-local and hyper-international — and I think for anyone to care about these issues, we have to make it hyper-local, and we have to make it clear that when an NYPD boot is on your neck, that means it has been strapped on by the IDF.”

Mamdani reiterated previous statements about defunding the police

Resurfaced comments from a socialist convention in 2023 linking the NYPD to the Israeli military caused backlash for Democratic Party mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani. (Nicholas Economou via Getty Images and Democratic Socialists of America)

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment on this story, but did not receive a response. However, he addressed the matter during a press conference in Hell’s Kitchen on Tuesday night.

“You know, I’ve said repeatedly that in the interest of public safety, I look forward to working with police officers here in New York City to make that happen,” Mamdani said during a Tuesday event at Hell’s Kitchen after a video of his remarks began circulating. “I look forward to ensuring that we actually address the current retention crisis, where we now have about 350 officers leaving the department every month. This is something we will put an end to by ensuring that police officers are only asked to do the work of the police department, and not the work of social services, as they have been doing.”

Meanwhile, Mamdani was also asked what he thought about keeping the NYPD’s liaison office open in Israel, to which Mamdani responded that his “focus” was on the NYPD in New York, not abroad.

Mamdani is drawing at straws as best he can, says a former NYPD lieutenant

Mamdani said he wants to reorganize the NYPD and “trust” 911 dispatchers “to determine if there is any indication of violence” and that law enforcement is needed to respond. (Jenna Moon/Reuters; Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

Social media erupted after the clip was posted on X with several prominent accounts on both sides of the aisle criticizing Mamdani.

“This guy is truly terrible,” Outkick.com founder Clay Travis posted to X.

“People rightly point out that this is textbook anti-Semitism (all your problems are caused by Jews!), but my question is, when Mamdani issued his blanket apology to the NYPD, did that apology extend to the people who tied their shoes?! Inquiring minds want to know!” NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargun posted on X.

“There’s a word for this kind of twisted fear-mongering and conspiratorial thinking: anti-Semitism,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, posted on X.

“Sick. Zahran Mamdani has smeared Israel and the NYPD in one breath, claiming that ‘the IDF has tied the boot on your neck,'” Rep. Claudia Tenney, R.N.Y., posted on X. “This is anti-Semitic, divisive, and dangerous.”

In addition to Mamdani’s previous statements about law enforcement, his proposed plans for how to deal with police if a mayor is elected has also raised concerns among some.

For example, Mamdani was criticized for suggesting this Social workers and other non-police professionals Such “transit ambassadors” will have to handle some of the 911 calls, which Mamdani said will ease the NYPD’s workloads and improve officer retention. The proposal is something Mamdani has championed since 2020.

Meanwhile, during the mayor’s debate earlier this month, Mamdani added that he wants to reorganize the NYPD and “trust” 911 dispatchers “to determine if there is any indication of violence” and that law enforcement is needed to respond.

Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Lehigh Valley, called Mamdani’s plan “the worst idea” he’d heard in a while.

Democratic mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani has publicly apologized for his past statements about law enforcement, including that the NYPD should be defunded and that it is “racist, homophobic, and poses a significant threat to public safety.” (Istock)

“I have no idea what he’s talking about and neither does he,” Giacalone said. “My question is what happens when The sender is wrong And someone dies? Is he sorry? “The responsibility the city would take with this idea would be off the charts.”

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Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called Mamdani “divisive across the board” and criticized his opponent in the New York City mayoral race for “calling out.”[ing] Racist NYPD.”

“You can’t be a divisive leader in this city. You have to be united,” Cuomo added at a campaign event. “Because all day long in this city people bump into each other, and one of the main responsibilities you naturally learn as a governor or a mayor or a chief executive is that you have to constantly work to keep people together because they will naturally separate and fight. You are the force that holds them together.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.