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| Zohran Mamdani |
New York’s 34-year-old mayor Zohran Mamdani recovered nicely from the rookie mistake that he committed on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.
When asked by a reporter about whether he would support a united Ireland, Mamdani replied: “I gotta be honest I haven’t thought enough on that question.”
Mamdani seriously whiffed on that softball question that is relevant and thought enough of by many of NYC’s 400K-plus people of Irish descent.
The mayor’s PR advisors must have set Mamdani straight because he was right on target during the big day.
At the Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast held at Gracie Mansion, he spoke eloquently of the more than 800 years of British repression of Ireland.
“The story of the Irish, both in Ireland and in New York City, is at one time a story of oppression, of subjugation, and of discrimination,” he said.
“As we know, it was on Irish soil that the British Empire developed their colonial project. So much of the exploitation later imposed elsewhere across the world was first honed in the plantations of Ireland.”
Mamdani upped the ante at the Saint Patrick’s Day parade. “As someone who believes deeply in the principle of self-determination, I think that should be extended to the Irish.”
He credited the Irish for “standing up whenever there has been a person or a people oppressed. Standing up in support of Palestinian freedom is a clear example of that.”
Ireland has been a leading critic of Israel’s genocidal activities. Israel closed its embassy in Dublin in December 2004 after Ireland recognized the Palestinian state and supported the International Court of Justice genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel.
As Ireland’s former president Mary Robinson said at the Gracie Mansion breakfast:
“While we gather to wish each other good health, we know others are living under the shadow of war and suffering in Iran, in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Ukraine, in Sudan, and [in the] Democratic Republic of Congo and in too many other places.
“For many Irish people, these realities resonate deeply, as the mayor has said. Our own history holds memories of famine, exile, and conflict,” she said.
Mamdani praised Robinson for standing “steadfast alongside the people of Palestine.”
You can bet the mayor will be prepared for Saint Patrick’s Day 2027.
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