Mayor Zohran Mamdani is telling New Yorkers to take to the streets to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the Big Apple — and it has NYPD cops fuming.
New York’s Finest just put in superhuman duty to keep the five boroughs safe during the FIFA World Cup, the Knicks NBA title, Independence Day and a massive America 250 celebration that brought millions into the city — and now will have to keep their guards up as the lefty mayor fans the flames.
“The mayor’s activist posturing puts police officers on the street in a terrible position,” NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said. “Protests during the UN General Assembly are nothing new, but when the mayor of the city is actively calling for demonstrations, violent agitators will assume they have permission to cause as much havoc as possible.
“Those same agitators know that the NYPD’s protest response is already hamstrung by the dangerous lawsuit settlement the city signed over the PBA’s opposition,” Hendry said. “The mayor’s heated rhetoric could be enough to push demonstrations over the edge into chaos.”
Mamdani has been obsessing over Netanyahu since he was on the campaign trail last year, and vowed to have him arrested if he set foot in the city due to a 2024 warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The mayor was forced to backtrack this week by admitting he didn’t have the juice to do it — but urged New Yorkers to protest Netanyahu, which means more work for the NYPD.
“This is a city where, if anyone feels a level of frustration or opposition, protest is something that we will always respect,” he told reporters at City Hall this week. “That New Yorkers can express themselves, whether they are in support or in opposition, no matter on whatever topic.
“And I’ve always said that when we respect our Constitution, we also respect our First Amendment.”
New York’s Finest already went above and beyond to handle the unprecedented tourist rush this summer, and were put on 12-hour shifts to handle the extra duty — which they pulled off flawlessly.
Now, their own mayor is adding to the workload.
“Was he serious?” one incredulous Manhattan cop asked.
“Cops just came off a crazy six weeks between the Knicks and the World Cup working long hours every day, and now he’s going to subject them to unnecessary problems,” the cop said.
One Brooklyn cop called Mamdani “nothing more than a cheap politician looking for cheap headlines” who knew — or at least should have known — that he “didn’t have the power” to arrest the prime minister.
Another department veteran added, “When will he realize that he is not an activist anymore?
“He should be governing the city and trying to keep the peace, instead of inciting a riot with his rhetoric,” he said. “He is basically telling the crazy people to do what they want, and there will be no repercussions. If a cop gets hurt, it will be on him, but that is the least of his worries.”
Yet, despite the added burden, police union officials said the NYPD will be ready as always when the UN General Assembly kicks off in September.
“Our detectives are prepared for any demonstrations and will do our jobs—as we always do—with utmost professionalism,” said Scott Munro, president of the NYPD Detectives Endowment Association.
“It’s who we are and what we do.”
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy
