Italian Americans in New York City (and elsewhere) are rightly proud of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish explorer widely credited with "discovering" America in 1492. However, it turns out that Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayoral frontrunner, is anything but appreciative of the adventurer.
Controversial Mamdani — who, political commentator Jonathan Turley recent wrote, "looks more and more like a hardcore Marxist," while President Donald Trump believes he's a "true, pure, Communist" — came under attack from Italian Americans on social media on Monday after a tweet resurfaced showing the NYC mayoral candidate giving the finger to a statue of Columbus, along with: "Take it down."
Click on the image for the full effect.
When I first looked at the above post, the first word that came to mind was "petty."
However, the more I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that Mamdani — whose false persona is all about smiles and downplaying or dismissing accusations about his radical views — is filled with rage.
Mamdani's tweet didn't sit well at all with NYC Italian groups, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition, whose mantra is "Drop the Hate, Seek the Truth." The group's president, Angelo Vivolo, told the New York Post he will oppose Mamdani in the November mayoral election:
We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues. He is being disrespectful to the Italian American community. If you offend one community, you offend all communities. I don’t think he will be mayor for all the people of New York City.
Mr. Vivolo's comment will likely prove to be an understatement of significant proportions.
As RedState reported on June 30, Mamdani's past statements continue to come back to haunt him, including the classic Marxist objective: “The end goal is seizing the means of production.”
The phrase, which originates in Marxist theory, calls on the working class to take control of resources, factories, and tools used to produce goods and services. It's a foundational tenet in socialist and communist movements that has, without exception, ended up with strict, centralized (authoritarian) government control over all things — including the affected citizenry.
READ MORE: Absolute Proof Zohran Mamdani Is a Communist Arises, and the Press Response Is Mind-Blowing
Joseph Scelsa, the founder and president of the Italian American Museum in NYC, told the Post that the Italian voting bloc comprises roughly eight percent of the city's population, which, he said, would be a mistake for Mamdani to blow off:
To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty. It’s not inclusive. It’s exclusionary. “Who’s to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero.
The Columbus statue Mamdani condemned in his tweet is one of the five in Big Apple parks, according to city officials.
While one culture's hero might be another's villain, the issue here is less about history's view of Christopher Columbus than the left's continuing efforts to erase the story of America as we know it by taking down statues and other monuments in honor of historical figures they despise.
To be sure, while Mamdani has touched a nerve with voters who share his enmity of capitalism, free markets, wealth-building, and more, the notion that the radical newcomer might very well become NYC's next mayor is not only feared by millionaires and billionaires — Mamdani believes that latter shouldn't exist — the thought of this guy running the Big Apple is also feared by Jewish Americans in the city.
ALSO CHECK OUT: 'Hook, Line, and Sinker': Trump Lays Trap for Democrats on Mamdani, and Hakeem Jeffries Takes the Bait
As Fox Business reported on Saturday, concerns about antisemitism continue to grow in New York City, with some Jewish residents saying they’re beginning to question whether the city is safe for Jews.
Ben Soffer, a social media influencer and entrepreneur who has lived in the city his entire life, told Fox he's considering moving out of the Big Apple. Soffer said on "Varney & Co." on Monday:
We're very afraid. I've never, ever thought that I would need to leave because I was afraid to be openly Jewish here. Mamdani and his constituents are turning Zionism into a slur. It's not a slur to want to be proudly Jewish and to feel that Jews have a right to a homeland.
While it might be possible to stop Mamdani from winning the NYC mayoral race, it will likely be a tall order, given his frontrunner status. One possibility could be either current Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent, or former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, dropping out of the race in an effort to consolidate the opposition to the young (you pick) socialist, Marxist, communist, Democrat.
Do I see either guy dropping out in support of the other? No. Would it be good for the people of New York City if I'm wrong? Absolutely.
The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject their globalist agenda.
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