Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

Read more

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not plan to attend demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter’s visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaking to reporters on September 16, Mamdani said he had been in contact with the New York Police Department as the city prepared for the General Assembly and that there were currently no known expected threats.

“I do not have any plans to attend any protest at the UN General Assembly,” Mamdani said.

Asked about his decision not to participate in demonstrations given his previous criticism of Netanyahu, Mamdani said he had already made his views clear and that his focus during the General Assembly would be on the city’s responsibilities as host.

“I have made very clear about my views, my thoughts, my assessments,” he said. “When it comes to the UN General Assembly, my focus is ensuring that our city remains prepared to host representatives from across the world to keep New Yorkers safe.”

Mamdani also sought to distinguish between supporting New Yorkers’ right to protest and encouraging them to demonstrate.

“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in the city. We respect that right,” he said, adding that New York is a city that is “proud of the Constitution” and the First Amendment.

His comments come after Mamdani acknowledged in July that New York City did not have independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, despite having repeatedly pledged during his mayoral campaign to arrest the Israeli prime minister if he visited the city.

Following a legal review, Mamdani said in July that “it is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this.” He subsequently called on the US federal government to take action against Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is expected in New York for the annual UN General Assembly, where security measures have been heightened and protests are anticipated during the gathering of world leaders.