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EXCLUSIVE: Inna Vernikov, a New York City Republican councilwoman, told Fox News Digital that voters in her heavily Jewish district are “petrified” about the prospect of socialist Zohran Mamdani becoming the city’s next mayor.
“This is a guy who wants to globalize the intifada,” Vernikov told Fox News Digital. “We’ve never seen anything close to this in New York City. We have the largest Jewish population in America, and I’ll tell you Jews are telling me they’re going to run away from New York City, and Jews have contributed a lot to the city and to this country, and the idea that they are now afraid to live here it’s unacceptable and unprecedented really, this has never happened here.”
Mamdani has been widely criticized for his anti-Israel positions dating back to his college days, when he founded his school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. In recent weeks, Mamdani has been criticized over a perceived reticence to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which he now says he will not use and will discourage others from doing.
Mamdani’s father, Mahmood, has also faced scrutiny over his past writings and comments, which included a social media post celebrating a potential “third intifadah against settler colonialism” in Israel.
MAMDANI CONFRONTED ON STREETS OF NYC ABOUT ‘COMMUNIST’ LABEL, REFUSES TO ANSWER
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov. (Getty/Fox News Digital)
“The intifada is a call for violence, we’ve seen what happened during two intifadas where people were murdered, innocent people lost their lives,” Vernikov said, adding that “there’s a lot of fear in the Jewish community if this guy becomes mayor.”
Vernikov, who is Jewish, told Fox News Digital people she has spoken to in her district are “petrified” of Mamdani becoming mayor.
MAMDANI SPARKS FIRESTORM WITH RESURFACED COMMENT ON ABOLISHING PRIVATE PROPERTY: ‘HE’S A COMMUNIST’
