NYC Mayor Mamdani’s ‘monsters’ remark on pro-Israel lobby sparks antisemitism row

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticised a pro-Israeli group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and compared it to “monsters” who “move millions in dark money”.

The remarks, which the NYC Mayor defended on Monday, drew widespread condemnation from Jewish leaders and advocacy groups, who alleged that Mamdani was repeating anti-Jewish statements that have been getting reiterated by antisemites for centuries, Politico reported.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani calls AIPAC a “monster” that “moves dark money.”

No mention of Russia or the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. I guess they aren’t as “bad” as AIPAC is to Mamdani.

Insane. pic.twitter.com/nJ0YbhubQa

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 19, 2026

Critique of regional status quo

During an address at City Hall on Monday, Mamdani said, “When I am speaking about AIPAC, I’m speaking about an organisation that has been supportive of the status quo, that has fought any attempt to actually deliver safety to people, not just in Palestine, but frankly, through much of the region, and it is a status quo for immorality.”

“Monsters.” “Dark money.” A hidden hand “turning us against one another.”

Swap “AIPAC” for “Jews” and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books. That’s not criticizing a lobby. That’s laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a… https://t.co/KOJ2HaImFE

— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) June 21, 2026

The NYC Mayor highlighted that over 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since a US-brokered ceasefire was signed in October last year to halt the Israeli offensive and Hamas’ retaliation in the region.

Allegations of financial influence in politics

The AIPAC has spent heavily to support pro-Israeli candidates in this year’s congressional primaries in the United States, Al Jazeera reported.

Referring to AIPAC, Mamdani said they have “moved millions in dark money” to achieve single goal: “To preserve their power so that they can turn us against one another instead of our leaders turning towards the moral change we all know to be necessary. In the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we need not live in fear of monsters any longer.”

Accusations of Antisemitic Rhetoric

Democratic New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer accused the NYC Mayor of antisemitism and wrote in a post on X, “Swap ‘AIPAC’ for ‘Jews’ and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books.”

Condemnation of official statements

“That’s not criticizing a lobby. That’s laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a million Jews. This bullshit is dangerous,” Gottheimer added.