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NY Mayor Mamdani Skips Columbus Day Parade, Sparks Backlash
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Firstpost•13-10-2026, 07:32
NY Mayor Mamdani Skips Columbus Day Parade, Sparks Backlash
- •New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani skipped the annual Columbus Day Parade, drawing heavy criticism from political rivals.
- •Instead of attending the parade, Mamdani marked Italian Heritage Month with a video tribute to former left-of-centre politician Vito Marcantonio.
- •The mayor's absence revived scrutiny of his past opposition to Christopher Columbus, including a 2020 photo of him gesturing at a statue of the explorer.
- •Political opponents like Curtis Sliwa and Bruce Blakeman seized on the absence to criticize the mayor, calling it divisive during an election year.
Key Questions Answered
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani skipped the Columbus Day Parade to mark Italian Heritage Month with a video instead, allowing him to sidestep the ongoing debate over celebrating Columbus Day versus Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Political rivals strongly criticized his absence during an election year, with former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa remarking that "all parades matter" and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman calling him the most divisive mayor in NYC history.
In his Italian Heritage Month video tribute, Mayor Mamdani highlighted Vito Marcantonio, a left-of-centre politician who served seven terms representing East Harlem in Congress from 1935 to 1951.
