Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani repeatedly refused on Sunday to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry used as an incitement to violence against Jews. Pressed three times during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani would not explicitly reject the slogan, insisting, “That’s not language that I use,” and declaring that it is not the mayor’s job to “police language.”

Mamdani, an outspoken anti-Israel activist who supports the boycott-Israel movement, has faced growing pressure to denounce the phrase, which is widely used by anti-Israel protest movements and associated with calls for violent attacks on Jews and Israelis. The word “intifada” is most closely linked to the bloody Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, marked by suicide bombings that killed hundreds of Israelis.

Moderator Kristen Welker challenged Mamdani repeatedly to reject the phrase, but he demurred, offering only that he understands why some people find it concerning. “The language that I use and will continue to use is language grounded in universal human rights,” Mamdani said.

He added, “I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech,” arguing that defining what language is acceptable would be “similar to that of the president” and could limit free expression.

Mamdani acknowledged hearing from Jewish New Yorkers worried about the phrase, which has become a flashpoint during pro-Palestinian rallies in the city. “I’ve heard those fears,” he said, while pointing to his campaign pledge to boost anti-hate crime funding by 800% as proof he takes Jewish concerns seriously.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, has called on Mamdani to clearly denounce “globalize the intifada,” but he has so far refused.

In a previous interview on The Bulwark podcast, Mamdani defended the slogan by comparing it to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a last-ditch resistance by Jews facing extermination by the Nazis during the Holocaust, drawing a blistering condemnation from the Auschwitz Museum.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)