Michael Novakhov, a member of the New York State Assembly, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a Sunday rally on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where a Jewish man and an Asian man were stabbed days earlier in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
Speaking at the rally, Novakhov announced that he is preparing a letter urging the Justice Department to investigate “Mamdani’s hatred against the Jewish population of New York City and New York state.”
More than 200 people attended the demonstration, organized by the Jewish advocacy group EndJewHatred, following Thursday’s attack in which police say the suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar” while stabbing the two victims. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime in connection with the attack on the Jewish victim.
Demonstrators chanted, “Remove Mamdani,” while some held signs reading, “Never again is a promise.”
“New Yorkers are refusing to normalize extremist hatred,” Jayne Zirkle, communications director for EndJewHatred, told JNS.
“People of every background came together to demand what every community deserves: safety, equal protection under the law and moral clarity from our leaders,” Zirkle said.
