‘What I signed up for’: A cautious Mamdani stands by Oct. 7 response after getting backlash from both sides

Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended on Thursday his handling of the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, brushing off protesters who called him a traitor and standing by his statement that drew sharp criticism from some Jewish leaders.The mayor faced repeated questions about his handling of the anniversary at an unrelated press conference in Bushwick, less than 24 hours after pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted a Union Square vigil he attended to commemorate Israelis killed in the Oct. 7