{"id":150682,"date":"2026-03-03T06:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150682\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T06:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:03:15","slug":"nycs-mamdani-did-not-order-flags-at-half-mast-to-mark-death-of-irans-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150682\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC’s Mamdani did not order flags at half-mast to mark death of Iran’s leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Arrest Mamdani. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered flags at half-mast on state buildings amid Muslim mourning for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” says a March 1, 2026\u00a0post on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The same video<\/a>, from BSN Network on TikTok, spread in multiple languages<\/a> across platforms including\u00a0Threads<\/a> and X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tScreenshot of an Instagram reel taken March 2, 2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\tScreenshot of a TikTok taken March 2, 2026<\/p>\n

A war is enveloping<\/a>\u00a0the Middle East, unleashed by major US-Israeli combat operations on Iran that began<\/a> February 28.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a> had been Iran’s hardline spiritual guide and top political authority since 1989. Iranian state media confirmed his death on March 1.<\/p>\n

Mamdani posted on X<\/a> and told\u00a0local media<\/a> that the strikes by the United States and Israel were a “catastrophic escalation.”\u00a0His remarks faced quick criticism<\/a> from prominent conservatives.<\/p>\n

But he made no mention of Iran’s supreme leader, focusing instead on Iranians living in New York and offering assurances that they would be safe in the city (archived here<\/a>, here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sam Raskin, deputy press secretary for New York’s city hall, told AFP on March 2 that it is “not true” the mayor ordered flags on government buildings in the city lowered.<\/p>\n

Updates to the city’s flag status are reported on the NYC311 website<\/a>. As of March 2 at 2155 GMT, it said flags were at “full staff” (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0website<\/a> for the New York state office of general services, meanwhile, reported: “Flags on State government buildings are currently at full staff “(archived here<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

The last directive to lower flags was issued by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on\u00a0February 17<\/a>\u00a0and carried out the next day to mark the\u00a0death<\/a> of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson (archived here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Mamdani marked the occasion on his social media<\/a> on February 18.<\/p>\n

Satire taken as true<\/p>\n

The video originated with BSN Network, which posted it to Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, Threads<\/a> and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The BSN Network describes itself as “satire” and “comedy” in its page descriptions, while the account’s banner photo on Facebook says: “Fake but funny. News you can never trust.”<\/p>\n

\t\t\tScreenshot of the BSN Facebook page taken March 2, 2026<\/p>\n

However, the posts’ captions do not specify that the content was satirical and many comments show viewers were not aware of the comedic intent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Keyword searches<\/a> revealed that a second satire site, The Babylon Bee, also posted an article<\/a> falsely claiming Mamdani ordered flags at One World Trade Center to be flown at half-staff.<\/p>\n

Find more of AFP’s reporting on misinformation surrounding the Middle East war here<\/a>.<\/p>\n