New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned a recent anti-Muslim protest in Manhattan, one that began with a growing trend of anti-Muslim behavior in NYC before turning violent.
Right-wing activist Jake Lang organized the event on Saturday, with social media videos showing that Lang brought a fully cooked pig to the protest. Muslims do not eat pork for religious reasons. However, the protest took a frightening turn when two counterprotesters began tossing IEDs near Gracie Mansion.
The two individuals were arrested, and they reportedly told New York Police Department officials that they watched ISIS videos. Mamdani did not specifically call out the individuals by name during his press conference on Monday.
“I’m the first Muslim mayor of our city, anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, nor is it anything new for the 1 million or so Muslim New Yorkers who know this city as our home,” Mamdani said.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani blames white supremacy for two Muslim men launching bombs near Gracie Mansion.
NYPD said it’s being investigated as an “act of ISIS-inspired terrorism.”
Officials also revealed one suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” before igniting and throwing a bomb. pic.twitter.com/iW3i1vyWHa
— Martin Walsh (@martinwalsh__) March 9, 2026
“While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen,” Mamdani continued. “Ours is a free society, where the right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those we agree with. It belongs to everyone.”
Numerous social media users, including Lang, have called for Mamdani’s deportation; he was born in Uganda but obtained U.S. citizenship in 2018. Right-wing X accounts have advocated for increased deportations or restrictions against Muslims, especially those who might be in the United States illegally.
President Donald Trump recently suggested that Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, should also be deported or leave the United States. Those comments came following the State of the Union address, where both women were widely criticized for heckling and yelling at Trump throughout the night.
Tlaib was born in Detroit, and her citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment. Omar moved to the United States in 1995 and obtained U.S. citizenship five years later.
Do you support denaturalizing and deporting American-Hating Ilhan Omar?
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) March 2, 2026
Florida Rep. Randy Fine and conservative activist Laura Loomer have been among the notable figures to post anti-Muslim commentary on social media. Fine recently posted a poll asking his followers if they supported possibly deporting Omar, and 77.7% of over 24,000 participants voted yes.
Fine also made an X post that was interpreted as anti-Muslim, writing, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” That post came after pro-Palestine activist Nerdeen Kiswani said that dogs should be banned as indoor pets because of their hygiene.
Loomer claimed that Muslims wanted to ban her four dogs and quipped that one of the dogs is named “Mecca,” a reference to the Saudi Arabian city and the holiest city in Islam.
“I make Muslims pray toward my dog 5 times a day,” Loomer wrote. “I choose Mecca.”
