Police union warns Mamdani’s call for Netanyahu protest may endanger officers
The New York Police Benevolent Association has warned Mayor Zohran Mamdani that encouraging protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UN could jeopardize law enforcement officers’ safety, especially given the NYPD’s recent restrictions on protest responses following a 2020 lawsuit. Mamdani, who has publicly labeled Netanyahu a “war criminal” and called for protests, has engaged in discussions with the city’s law department about whether the police can enforce an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu during his visit. Mamdani’s rhetoric has sparked backlash, with Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, blaming Mamdani’s anti-Israel statements for escalating threats against Jewish communities in New York. Mamdani has historically expressed strong opposition to Netanyahu, urging President Trump to enforce the ICC warrant, which charges Netanyahu with war crimes-though Mamdani admits he lacks authority to arrest him. The situation has heightened tensions, with concerns that protests could turn chaotic and endanger public safety.
The New York Police Benevolent Association warned Mayor Zohran Mamdani that his urging of New Yorkers to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United Nations annual summit later this year could pose a danger for the city’s law enforcement officers.
NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said the mayor’s call for protests puts officers in a “terrible position,” particularly because protest response is limited following a lawsuit stemming from the department’s response to the summer of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
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“Protests during the UN General Assembly are nothing new, but when the mayor of the city is actively calling for demonstrations, violent agitators will assume they have permission to cause as much havoc as possible,” Hendry said. “Those same agitators know that the NYPD’s protest response is already hamstrung by the dangerous lawsuit settlement the city signed over the PBA’s opposition. The mayor’s heated rhetoric could be enough to push demonstrations over the edge into chaos.”
Earlier this month, Mamdani told The New York Times that he was in “an active conversation” with the city’s law department over whether the NYPD had the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest during his visit to the Big Apple in September for the UN General Assembly. The socialist mayor ultimately conceded that he did not have the power to arrest the prime minister, but urged residents to protest Netanyahu when he is in the city.
Mamdani has called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and an “architect of genocide,” citing what he alleged were crimes committed by the Israeli prime minister in Gaza, including the killing of thousands of Palestinians, withholding humanitarian aid, and targeting hospitals.
On Thursday, a man was arrested after two individuals were stabbed, one of whom was Jewish. Witnesses said the man yelled “Allahu Akbar” while committing the attacks. Although police have not declared an official motive, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon placed blame squarely on Mamdani’s anti-Israel rhetoric.
“Zohran Mamdani, your incitement is putting Jewish lives in danger in New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel,” Danon said. “You have spent months fueling hatred, demonizing Israel and legitimizing hostility toward Jews. Now take responsibility for the consequences.”
Mamdani’s public disdain for Netanyahu dates back long before he was in the mayor’s office, and on the campaign trail, outside advisers told him to tone down the arrest-Netanyahu rhetoric, Politico reported.
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Since admitting he lacks the power to carry out a campaign promise of arresting Netanyahu, Mamdani has turned to urging President Donald Trump to carry out the ICC warrant. The ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu charges him with allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Netanyahu strongly rejects. Trump is not likely to comply with Mamdani’s request nor the ICC’s warrant.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.
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