A group representing retired Port Authority police officers is urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks, arguing that his appearance at Ground Zero would inflict “deep pain” on many first responders, survivors and relatives of those murdered.

John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, made the request in an Aug. 14 letter to Mamdani that was reported over the weekend by Fox News. McDevitt asked the mayor to refrain from participating in the Sept. 11 ceremony at the World Trade Center site.

“For us, September 11 is not a political occasion, a photo opportunity, or a platform for public officials,” McDevitt wrote to Mamdani. “It is a solemn day of remembrance for those who were murdered, those who responded, those who survived, and the families who have carried these losses for twenty-five years.”

The association stressed the particularly close bond its members have with the World Trade Center, which it described as “our home.” The September 11 attacks claimed the lives of 37 Port Authority police officers, along with 47 other members of the Port Authority family.

“Thirty-seven of our brothers and sisters made the ultimate sacrifice,” McDevitt wrote. “Their memorial should not become the center of political controversy.”

According to the retired officers, Mamdani’s political associations, policy positions and previous public statements have generated “profound concerns” among their members. The organization said those concerns are particularly significant given the sacrifices of the victims and the law enforcement officers who responded to the attacks.

“We believe your presence at Ground Zero on this 25th anniversary would cause deep pain to many members of the 9/11 community,” McDevitt wrote. “It also risks shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrifice the ceremony exists to honor.”

Rather than appearing at Ground Zero, McDevitt suggested that Mamdani commemorate the anniversary in another fashion, such as issuing a written statement, delivering public remarks or participating in a separate event.

“This is our day to remember,” he wrote. “Please allow us to remember in peace.”

Mamdani has previously indicated that he plans to attend the September 11 ceremony, saying he intends to “proudly honor” the victims’ families, survivors and first responders whose lives were permanently altered by the attacks.

The letter from the retired officers follows a separate petition calling for Mamdani to be kept away from the ceremony that has attracted more than 95,000 signatures. Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was killed in the September 11 attacks, launched the petition in July.

The petition raises numerous objections to Mamdani, who took office in January as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Among the issues cited is his refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

It also points to Mamdani’s appearance during his campaign with Brooklyn Imam Siraj Wahhaj. The petition describes Wahhaj as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and says he had previously advocated for gun-free jihad.

Mamdani’s decision to appoint Ramzi Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel is another issue raised by the petition. Kassem has represented convicted Al-Qaeda member Ahmed al-Darbi as well as radical organizer Mahmoud Khalil.

The petition additionally criticizes Mamdani for endorsing state Senate candidate Aber Kawas, who had previously characterized the September 11 attacks as something that “a couple of people did” and voiced support for Ahmed Ferhani, who was convicted in connection with a terror plot.

Also cited is Mamdani’s backing of congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, who had previously described the United States as “a f-ing disgrace” and spoke about using an American flag as a napkin.

The petition further draws attention to social media posts Mamdani made in 2015 concerning Al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki, in which Mamdani defended al-Awlaki and attributed his radicalization to American policy.

Statements made by Mamdani’s father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, are also included among the petition’s objections. Those remarks have been characterized as expressing sympathy toward suicide bombers.

Judea Pearl, whose son, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, has also publicly backed the effort opposing Mamdani’s presence at the Ground Zero commemoration.

Pearl wrote on social media: “My late son, Daniel, is not a direct victim of 9/11, yet he was murdered by Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM), the 9/11 architect. I wish I could join the petition to bar Mayor Mamdani from the memorial — his anti-American ideology differs little from that of KSM’s.”

{Matzav.com}