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

A controversial comparison between law enforcement and the Israeli army (IDF) brings a socialist candidate to mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani in hot water after unearthed clip of a 2023 socialist conference went viral on social media.

“We have to make it clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it has been laced by the IDF,” Mamdani, who was a keynote speaker, said during a speech on a panel at the 2023 Democratic Socialists of America national convention.

These comments fuel criticism that has criticized Mamdani’s past statements and opinions on law enforcement. Mamdani was forced to go on Fox News and apologize amid backlash over past comments in which he said the NYPD should be defunded and is “racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to – before we move on to the next questions – I just wanted to answer a few questions,” Mamdani said at the DSA 2023 conference while expanding on his analogy with the NYPD and the IDF. “In the first question, there was this creation of a context where this idea of ​​hyper-local and international – and I think for anyone to care about these issues, we have to make them hyper-local, we have to make it clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it was laced by the IDF.”

MAMDANI RELIED UPON PAST RHETORIC ON THE DEFUNTING OF THE POLICE

Comments that resurfaced at a 2023 socialist conference linking the NYPD to the Israeli military sparked backlash against Democratic Party candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. (Nicolas Economou via Getty Images and Democratic Socialists of America)

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

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

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

MAMDANI ‘PULLS STRAWS THE BEST WAY HE CAN,’ SAYS EX-NYPD LIEUTENANT

Mamdani said he wanted to reorganize the New York Police Department and “trust” 911 dispatchers to “determine if there were indications of violence” and that law enforcement was needed to respond. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon and AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In addition to Mamdani’s past remarks on law enforcement, his proposals for how to approach policing if the mayor were elected have also raised concerns among some.

For example, Mamdani was criticized for proposing that social workers and other non-police professionals like “transit ambassadors” handle some 911 calls, which Mamdani said would serve to ease the NYPD’s workload and improve officer retention. This proposal is something Mamdani has championed since 2020.

Meanwhile, during a town hall debate earlier this month, Mamdani added that he wanted to reorganize the New York Police Department and “trust” 911 dispatchers to “determine if there were signs of violence” and that law enforcement was 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’s heard in a while.

Democratic Party mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has publicly apologized for past remarks about law enforcement, including that the NYPD should be defunded and is “racist, anti-queer and a major 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 dispatcher is wrong and someone dies? Is that an oops? The responsibility that the city would assume with this idea would be out of the ordinary. »

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Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called Mamdani “divisive on every level” and criticized his opponent in the New York mayoral race for “calling[ing] the NYPD racist.

“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 pass each other and one of the main responsibilities you learn as a governor or mayor or executive is that you have to constantly work to keep people together because they will naturally separate and fight. You are the force that brings them together.”

Michael Ruiz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.