A Mamdani social media post from 2020 surfaced during last year’s mayoral race showing the Ugandan-born pol flipping the bird to the Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria. Mamdani, who that same year successfully ran to represent the neighborhood in the state Assembly, included the caption, “Take it down.”
"The Columbus Citizens Foundation, which runs the famed parade along Fifth Avenue, got plenty of heat from other Italian American groups for trying to extend an olive branch to Mamdani by inviting him to the event despite the socialist mayor’s past rocky relationship with Italian Americans.
"Christopher Loiacono, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, and other leaders of the group did not return messages."But Angie Markham, executive director of FAIO of Queens, which organizes the Astoria event, said Mamdani not attending the Astoria parade “isn’t gonna make or break the event for me.”"'People wanna change history,” she said. “It is what it is. This is the day we chose to [honor] Italian heritage. The Spanish have a whole month. The blacks have a whole month. We have one day. Leave us alone!”
"Jerry Iannece, a criminal court judge and parade chairman, said Mamdani and other far-left pols’ disdain for Columbus is “misguided,” adding that “there’s a lot of people who want to rewrite history.”
"Carlo Scissura, vice chairman of the FAIO of Brooklyn, declined to address Mamdani’s snub at the Bensonhurst parade but said, “We are proud and excited to host our annual parade, a powerful celebration of Italian American heritage, pride and culture.”
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| A June 2020 social media post by Mamdani gave the finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus in Queens and said “Take it down.” |
"Many Brooklyn patrons said they were upset — but not shocked — Mamdani snubbed Big Apple Italian Americans yet again." . . . More.
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