After the “Monsters Speech” and the backlash from the Jewish community, Mamdani doubles down and refuses to backtrack
He called them "monsters" - and he's not backing down. NYC mayor refuses to apologize for his antisemitic remarks.
By Tomer Almagor
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended comments he made last week about the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. The remarks drew strong criticism from members of the Jewish community, but Mamdani declined to apologize or retract them.
“When I am speaking about AIPAC, I’m speaking about an organization that has been supportive of the status quo, that has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people, not just in Palestine, but frankly, through much of the region, and it is a status quo for immorality,” Mamdani said at a press conference.
He repeated his claim that AIPAC “funds television ads that blanket the airwaves with misleading and bad faith attacks,” while attempting to clarify that he believes other lobbying groups engage in similar practices. He also again linked the organization’s activities to the economic struggles faced by many Americans.
Last week, Mamdani referred to AIPAC as “monsters” and accused it of using “dark money” to preserve its influence. “AIPAC, for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu’s wars. He added that AIPAC’s “goal” is “to turn us against one another,” he said to applause from the audience. He also connected the lobby’s influence to low wages and social inequality in the United States.
The speech sparked angry reactions from Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and other advocacy groups. “Mayor Mamdani, referring to fellow New Yorkers as “monsters” is outrageous and dangerous, and the impact of your words extends far beyond politics,” wrote American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch on X.
Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer also condemned the remarks, writing: “Swap 'AIPAC' for 'Jews' and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books. That’s not criticizing a lobby. That’s laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a million Jews. This bullshit is dangerous.”