Cuomo asks Mamdani to condemn ‘globalize the intifada’ slogan ahead of Oct 7 protests

‘Intifada,’ which means ‘uprising’ or ‘shaking off’ in Arabic, was the name of two violent Palestinian uprisings including one from 2000 to 2005 that killed an estimated 1,000 Israelis in terror attacks, including on buses, at cafes and at recreational centers.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo on Sunday renewed his call for Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to clearly denounce the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” ahead of demonstrations planned for the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attack.

The anti-Israel group “Behind Enemy Lines,” is organizing a “No Business as Usual” protest on October 7, urging participants to “Escalate for Gaza.”

The group’s website calls on supporters to shut down daily activity, encouraging students to walk out of classes, small businesses to close, and the public to join coordinated protests.

In the press release, Cuomo urged the NYPD to “increase security around synagogues, Jewish schools, community centers, and other locations identified as ‘targets’ by these organizers.” The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cuomo has criticized Mamdani for refusing to explicitly condemn the “Globalize the Intifada” slogan, which many see as promoting violence against Jews.

“Zohran Mamdani continues to play word games instead of showing moral clarity,” Cuomo said in a statement.

“Today I again call on him—directly and unequivocally—to denounce this phrase and to reject any movement that glorifies violence or targets Jewish people.”

Mamdani, who came under fire earlier for declining to disavow the phrase, said in July that he would discourage its use after speaking with a Jewish woman in a conversation arranged by Partnership for New York.

He acknowledged the phrase “meant something different to the Jewish community” but has stopped short of condemning it outright. His campaign did not immediately respond to Cuomo’s latest remarks.

On several occasions, including on a podcast last June, Mamdani refused to condemn the slogan “Globalize the Intifada.”

Asked by the host of “The Bulwark,” which bills itself as being for moderate liberals, what he thought about the phrase, Mamdani denounced antisemitism but rejected the critique.

“I know people for whom those things mean very different things,” Mamdani said in the episode. “Ultimately what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”

“Globalize the intifada,” used widely used at anti-Israel protests, is seen by many as a call for violence against Jews.

“Intifada,” which means “uprising” or “shaking off” in Arabic, was the name of two violent Palestinian uprisings including one from 2000 to 2005 that killed an estimated 1,000 Israelis in terror attacks, including on buses, at cafes and at recreational centers.