Mamdani ends speech early after being booed off stage at event in Staten Island

Zohran Mamdani leaving the stage amid a chorus of boos.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was booed off stage this week at a pro-police event in Staten Island, ending his speech early amid an unrelenting cascade of boos and jeers from the audience. 

Mamdani was on hand to deliver remarks at the NYPD’s 43rd Patrol Borough National Night Out Against Crime on the Midland Beach boardwalk in Staten Island Tuesday evening. About 3,500 residents had turned out to celebrate, according to The New York Post, but when the mayor was introduced, the crowd greeted him with a chorus of boos, video from the event showed. Some shouted profanities at Mamdani while others urged him to leave. 

"It is a pleasure to be here," Mamdani began, his words drowned out by the booing and heckling. "Get off our island!" one attendee could be heard screaming.

The mayor swiftly thanked organizers, said, "congratulations," then quickly exited the stage, apparently cutting his remarks short. Mamdani's speech lasted all of 43 seconds. 

Staten Island Advance reported some attendees asked Mamdani to pose for photos, and he obliged. But the negative response to his appearance was overwhelming, and the latest in a flurry of recent signs that the mayor's popularity is plummeting in the city. In late July, a man whose wife was killed in the 9/11 attacks started a petition in an attempt to discourage Mamdani from attending New York City's 9/11 ceremony next month, which will mark 25 years since the terror attacks. Close to 80,000 have signed the petition. The president of the Catholic League this week also urged Mamdani not to attend the 9/11 memorial service.

Mamdani also released a list of names of hundreds of thousands of New York City residents whom he says are subject to his new pied-à-terre tax, some of them his vocal supporters. The stunt has drawn widespread outrage, including from some who voted for Mamdani. 

Mamdani has also drawn criticism for his characterization of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war criminal" who should be arrested if he sets foot in New York. Within days of those remarks, a man was arrested after brazenly stabbing two men on the streets of Manhattan's Upper West Side, an attack many said was linked with Mamdani's anti-Israel rhetoric.

Below, watch video of Mamdani's brief speech and abrupt departure from the stage in Staten Island.