The New York Police Department (NYPD) is under the influence of the Israeli military, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani alleged in a resurfaced September 2023 video, which circulated on social media on Tuesday.
“We have to make it clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,” Mamdani said in the resurfaced clip.
He also claimed that "for anyone to care about these issues, we have to make them hyper aware."
“We are in a country where those connections abound,” he continued. “Especially in New York City, you have so many opportunities to make clear the ways in which that struggle over there is tied to capitalist interest over here.”
Mamdani, set to be NYC's first Muslim mayor, is known for being a long-time critic of Israeli politics and an advocate for Palestinian rights.
Following the October 7 massacre, he condemned the IDF’s response and joined anti-Israel protests. He also claimed he would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to NYC.
Palestinian liberation at core of Mamdani's politics
Mamdani’s pro-Palestinian activism launched his political career, with the candidate having close ties to the anti-Israel BDS movement. While at university, he co-founded a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
He has also defended the use of the term “globalize the intifada” as a “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian rights.”
“The struggle for Palestinian liberation was at the core of my politics and continues to be,” Mamdani said.