The Mayor of New York clarifies his position on possible protests against Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly

New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani said he has no plans to attend any protests at the United Nations General Assembly next week, as the pace of its meetings accelerates with the arrival of heads of state in New York.

When Mamdani was asked specifically Wednesday about the expected protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to speak Thursday, he responded, on the sidelines of remarks about infrastructure in Long Island City: “I have no plans to attend any protest at the United Nations General Assembly, and I have also been in contact with our executive director, and in general, as we prepare for the United Nations General Assembly, there are currently no anticipated threats that we know of and we remain confident in our ability to provide safety and security for the people of New York.”

The mayor told the New York Times over the summer that he was working with his administration's legal team on "how to carry out the arrest of Netanyahu" for the "alleged war crimes" he committed, but he admitted days later that he "does not have the legal authority to arrest him if he comes to New York City."

Mamdani remained focused on security during his response Wednesday, adding: "When it comes to the UN General Assembly, my focus is on ensuring that our city remains prepared to host representatives from around the world to keep New Yorkers safe, and I think also making sure that we're able to address the global conversation that's happening here in our city and the very local concerns that New Yorkers have about traffic and their ability to get from point A to point B over that time frame."

But the mayor did not stop other New Yorkers from protesting if they chose to, adding: "For New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest. What I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in the city. We respect that right, and this is a city that is proud of the Constitution, and proud of the First Amendment."