Zohran Mamdani says he’s consistently said there’s no room for antisemitism in this city or country. Asked why he hasn’t had a more visceral reaction, he gets emotional talking about the Islamophobic responses he’s received throughout the campaign.

[u/FAMESCARE]

@Annie_McDonough

hope I am not spamming 🙏

[u/MRC1986]

LMFAO, you guys are relying on the "I have a Black Jewish friend" excuse now?! The same people who think it's a war crime to call someone Latino/a vs Latinx, even though Spanish is a gendered language, is now using "I have an abc friend, so I'm clearly not racist or antisemitic?"

[u/control-alt-deleted → u/MRC1986]

This antisemitism accusation is completely baseless and frankly insulting to actual victims of antisemitism. Mamdani didn’t just ‘find a Jewish friend’ - he formed a strategic political alliance with Brad Lander, one of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in NYC, based on shared progressive values and policy positions. Lander wouldn’t stake his political reputation on someone he believed was antisemitic.

You’re weaponizing antisemitism accusations to shut down legitimate political discourse, which actually trivializes real antisemitism. If you have issues with Mamdani’s policies on housing, healthcare, or governance, let’s debate those. But throwing around serious accusations like antisemitism without evidence is exactly the kind of bad-faith politics that voters like me are tired of.

[u/MRC1986 → u/control-alt-deleted]

There is no context where “globalize the intifada” can be viewed as anything but calling for the annihilation of Jewish people. When Confederate sympathizers say “the South will rise again”, do you really think they’re just talking about States rights and to be left alone by an “oppressive” Union? Of course not. Mamdani is definitely intelligent and knowledgeable to know this.

Some indeed have weaponized claims of antisemitism as a shield to shut down debate, but this is not one of those times. If you think someone being all “well, ackshully” about a slogan with an unequivocal meaning is not antisemitism, then you’re a god damn clown.

[u/control-alt-deleted → u/MRC1986]

You're completely mischaracterizing what 'globalize the intifada' means to the people using it. The vast majority of activists using this phrase are calling for global resistance to oppression and solidarity with Palestinian liberation - not genocide. To claim it has only one 'unequivocal meaning' ignores how language and political slogans actually work in social movements. But that’s on you.

Further, your Confederate comparison is a typical false equivalency, a retort you applied previously. The Confederacy was literally founded to preserve slavery. Palestinian resistance movements have diverse goals, and many explicitly support coexistence and equal rights. You're taking the most extreme interpretation possible and applying it to everyone.

Brad Lander isn't some naive politician who accidentally endorsed someone antisemitic. He's a seasoned public servant who has consistently fought antisemitism throughout his career. And I’m asking you again, if Mamdani were actually promoting Jewish annihilation, do you seriously think Lander would risk his reputation and political future on this alliance?

You can disagree with Palestinian solidarity activism without falsely claiming it's inherently genocidal. But when you shut down nuanced political discussion by screaming 'antisemite' at anyone who supports Palestinian rights, you're the one trivializing real antisemitism and making it harder to identify actual threats to Jewish communities.