New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked outrage Thursday night after referring to AIPAC and its pro-Israel supporters as “monsters” during a campaign rally in Brooklyn, where he also accused the organization of using “dark money” to influence American politics.

Speaking for roughly 30 minutes at an event supporting progressive candidates ahead of the Democratic primaries, Mamdani sharply criticized the influential pro-Israel lobbying group.

“For AIPAC, the only thing more frightening than letting democracy work is ending the genocide and Netanyahu’s wars,” Mamdani said. He accused the organization of spending “millions of dark-money dollars” to divide Americans before telling supporters, “There is no need to fear monsters.”

Mamdani also attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and urged voters to support progressive candidates critical of Israel, including State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who previously helped lead the anti-Israel encampment at Columbia University.

The rally was headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who echoed Mamdani’s criticism of AIPAC.

“The American people understand that much of our terrible foreign policy is influenced by AIPAC funding,” Sanders told the crowd.

Despite the harsh rhetoric, Mamdani concluded his remarks by appealing for unity.

“Whether you pray in a synagogue, a mosque, a church, or do not believe at all, we all share the belief that our city deserves leaders who lead from hope and not from fear, because we are all New Yorkers who want the same things,” he said.

The comments immediately drew widespread criticism, particularly given the heightened threat environment facing Jewish organizations in the United States.

Just two days earlier, federal prosecutors charged five men accused of plotting to assassinate government officials at a White House sporting event. According to investigators, one suspect had searched for information on members of Congress backed by AIPAC.

On the same day as Mamdani’s speech, a federal grand jury also indicted a 27-year-old Florida man accused of attempting to carry out a mass shooting targeting employees at AIPAC’s offices in Plantation, Florida.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)