A protest against New York City’s controversial possible next mayor, Zohran Mamdani, got so bizarre it’s been compared to a Netflix comedy sketch.
Several dozen demonstrators waving USA, Israel and LGBTQ flags and Trump banners gathered on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan and chanted ‘No Mamdani’ on Tuesday.
They sang the national anthem, some with their right hand over their heart, with total passion and opposition to Mamdani, who nabbed a decisive victory in the Democratic primary over former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The protesters shouted, ‘We will not comply with Sharia law’, referring to Islamic principles that govern life for Muslims. Mamdani, 33, a Democratic socialist and state assembly member, has been labeled a socialist and communist by conservatives and even been threatened by Republican President Donald Trump.
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One rally leader wearing a dark MAGA hat announced that Mamdani and his father ‘are both anti-Semites, Communists who really hate America’.
‘Like father like son, they pose a significant danger to the safety of New York City and America,’ said the man in a speech shared on social media by an X user.
‘I ask President Donald J Trump to revoke the citizenship of Zohran Mamdani and his father Mahmood Mamdani and have them removed from America as soon as possible.’
‘Yeah!’ reacted the crowd, which included Gays for Trump and came together under the banner, ‘New Yorkers Say No to Communism’.
One baffled Instagram user asked: ‘Is this real? It genuinely feels like some sort of Tim Robinson sketch.’
‘Paid actors, it’s a psyop and they’re not really that good at it either…’ another user wrote.
Another remarked: ‘”G*ys 4 Trump” has to be the funniest yet saddest oxymoron I’ve heard so far in my almost 30 years.’
Zohran was born in Uganda and is a Shia Muslim who moved to the US at age 7 and became a naturalized American citizen in 2018. Trump has threatened to arrest Zohran and strip him of his citizenship if he blocks immigration raids in the city.
On Wednesday, Zohran was praised by House Democrats after he attended a closed-door breakfast event hosted by firebrand socialist Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Washington, DC.
Zohran remains the frontrunner, despite Cuomo relaunching his campaign for mayor.
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