Bernie Sanders Tells Dems To Get Behind Zohran Mamdani

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK — Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is urging Democratic Party leaders to rally behind Zohran Mamdani, whose surprise victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary has made him a target of intensifying anti-Muslim hate online.

“Democratic Party Leaders: You have talked for six months about the need to create political excitement to get working class and young people involved in the political process. That’s exactly what Zohran did. Get behind him,” Sanders posted on June 27.

Mamdani, 33, is a state lawmaker born in Uganda to Indian parents – his mother is the famed filmmaker Mira Nair. If elected in November, he would become New York City’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.

Since his June 24 primary win, Mamdani has faced a wave of Islamophobic attacks, including death threats and posts likening his candidacy to the September 11 terrorist attacks. According to Reuters, at least 127 violent, hate-related online messages referencing Mamdani or his campaign were reported in the 24 hours after polls closed.

Roughly 62% of the anti-Muslim content is on X Twitter, said Reuters. Some of the vitriol has been amplified by prominent right-wing figures, including Donald Trump Jr., who posted on June 25 that “New York City has fallen” alongside a meme suggesting New Yorkers had “voted for 9/11.” Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, known for rabble rousing, also shared an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a burqa that same day.

Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said the attacks echo those faced by other South Asian and Muslim politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris during her campaign.

Mamdani has repeatedly condemned antisemitism and has the endorsement of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a fellow Democrat and one of the city’s most prominent Jewish elected officials but his critics—primarily Republicans—have also accused him of antisemitism due to his support for Palestinian rights and vocal criticism of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attack in October 2023.

In recent remarks, Mamdani pushed back against accusations that criticism of Israel equates to antisemitism, vowing to fight for and protect the city’s Jewish community.