NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani’s Obscene Gesture Toward Columbus Statue Ignites Another Firestorm


A resurfaced image of Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani making an obscene gesture toward a statue of Christopher Columbus is stirring controversy across New York City — particularly among members of the Italian-American community.

The photo, originally posted in June 2020, shows what appears to be Mamdani’s making the gesture toward a Columbus statue in Astoria. The caption: “Take it down.”

Around the same time, Mamdani posted a poll asking followers who should replace Columbus. The options included legendary crooner Tony Bennett, Italian communist Walter Audisio — known for killing Benito Mussolini — and Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarcho-communists executed in 1927. The winners: Sacco and Vanzetti.

The posts have since resurfaced following Mamdani’s surprise victory in last month’s Democratic primary, prompting criticism from community leaders and political opponents alike.

“He is being disrespectful to the Italian-American community,” said Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition. “If you offend one community, you offend all communities.”

Joseph Scelsa, founder of the Italian American Museum, also condemned the gesture, warning it could alienate a substantial portion of the city’s electorate. “Columbus is our hero,” Scelsa said. “To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty.”

Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist born in Uganda to Indian parents, has become a polarizing figure in city politics. He’s drawn fire from moderates and conservatives for his progressive platform, past support for defunding the police, and, more recently, for listing himself as both Asian and African American on college applications, despite being of Indian descent.

He is set to face several opponents in the November general election, including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, now running as an independent, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)



3 Responses

  1. Whoever is releasing all these scandals to the media is forgetting to choose the ones that would outrage his own base. His base doesn’t care about a chanukah video (which wasn’t offensive at all) or not liking Columbus, and the old Italians weren’t going to vote for him anyway.

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