A petition started in July 2026 by 9/11 widower Giovanni Galante asking that Mayor Zohran Mamdani not attend the ceremony gathered about 110,000 signatures by September 10, 2026

Marking twenty-five years since the attacks that killed 2,977 people, the ceremony has become contested. A petition led by a victim's widower asks organizers to bar Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who intends to attend and has designated the date a citywide day of remembrance and service.