New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is booed as a 'traitor' at October 7 vigil after dining at Palestinian restaurant

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was heckled by demonstrators shouting "traitor" and "you coward" as he marched silently at a Union Square candlelight vigil marking three years since the October 7 Hamas attacks. Hours earlier he had dined at Ayat Hinds Hall, a Palestinian restaurant whose Brooklyn sister location faced accusations of antisemitism in 2023 over a "From the River to the Sea" menu section. The vigil was meant to commemorate Israeli victims, but protesters carrying Hamas and Hezbollah flags turned on the mayor from both sides of the divide.

Mamdani also issued a statement on the anniversary accusing Israel of carrying out a 'genocide' in Gaza, drawing fury from Jewish advocacy groups.

The restaurant Mamdani dined at is named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024.

The Anti-Defamation League defines "From the River to the Sea" as an implicit call for the eradication of Israel; the restaurant's owner has rejected accusations of antisemitism.