NEW YORK (VINnews) — Anti-Israel protesters called Mayor Zohran Mamdani a “traitor” and “sellout” Wednesday night as they booed and berated him at an Oct. 7 memorial in Manhattan, with some demonstrators waving Hamas flags during the confrontation.

Mamdani is stone-faced as the protesters call him a traitor and sellout. https://t.co/oXducpYsMR

— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) October 8, 2026

Mamdani was attending a candlelight vigil at Union Square marking the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel when protesters who had marched from City Hall confronted him.

“Shame on you!” protesters shouted.

Others called Mamdani a “traitor” and “sellout,” while additional chants included, “You coward!” and “How do you let this happen?”

The protesters also chanted, “Zohran, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” and “Mayor Mamdani, take a stand. Stop the sale of stolen land.”

Some demonstrators wore keffiyehs and carried Hamas flags as they protested Mamdani’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and accused him of abandoning the Palestinian cause.

Mamdani remained largely expressionless as he stood holding a candle alongside former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander during the vigil.

The confrontation was notable because Mamdani was being attacked by protesters who said he had failed to go far enough in supporting Palestinians, even as Jewish advocates have separately accused him of turning the Oct. 7 anniversary into a political attack on Israel.

Tamar Glazerman, co-founder of Israelis for Peace, described the scene as “a difficult night” involving several hundred counterprotesters.

“Verbally, it was very violent,” Glazerman said.

Lmaooooo the jihadis are now breaking down barricades and chasing @ZohranKMamdani through the streets of NYC screaming at him for attending an October 7th vigil with Jews.

I love it.

This is the chaos Mamdani deserves.

I love this so much for him. https://t.co/Z4B31DvBNA

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) October 8, 2026

One woman who attended the candlelight service, but declined to give her name, said the confrontation was emotionally difficult.

“It was like, are they even listening to what’s happening over here?” she said.

She criticized the protesters for what she described as having “zero nuance when lots of nuance is needed.”

The Union Square confrontation followed an earlier protest outside City Hall involving about 125 demonstrators who criticized Mamdani’s record on Palestinian issues since taking office.

“Mayor Mamdani, take a side, justice for Palestine,” the crowd chanted.

One protester held a picture of Mamdani welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to New York last month.

After the vigil, Mamdani went uptown to Hinds Hall by Ayat, a Palestinian restaurant in Manhattan, to meet with Palestinian families, according to sources cited by The New York Post.

The protests came after Mamdani issued a statement Wednesday morning marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Mamdani acknowledged that Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 people during the attacks. But much of his statement focused on Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, which he described as an “ongoing genocide.”

That statement drew sharp criticism from Jewish advocates and Israeli officials, who accused Mamdani of using a day of remembrance to advance political arguments against Israel.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, accused Mamdani of “weaponizing” the memory of the victims.

“Not once do you say ‘Jews,’” Greenblatt wrote on X, referring to Mamdani’s statement. “On Oct. 7, Hamas-led attackers murdered civilians, committed sexual violence, mutilated bodies and took hostages.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also accused Mamdani of trying to redirect attention away from the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“He’s trying to hijack the day to talk about attacking Israel,” Danon told The New York Post.

Danon called Mamdani “dangerous and sophisticated” and accused him of attempting to appeal to both sides of the conflict while advancing criticism of Israel.

The dueling protests and criticism underscore the deep divisions surrounding Mamdani’s position on Israel and the war in Gaza, with the mayor facing attacks from both Jewish advocates who say he has been hostile toward Israel and pro-Palestinian activists who accuse him of betraying their cause.