Mayor Zohran Mamdani slapped New York\u2019s Italian American community in the face again Saturday \u2014 snubbing Brooklyn\u2019s annual Columbus Day Parade and ghosting organizers of a similar event in Queens.<\/p>\n
Members of the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn, which organizes the parade along 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst honoring the famed but controversial explorer, said the Mayor\u2019s Office confirmed on Thursday that Mamdani declined their invitation sent out weeks earlier.<\/p>\n
But at least Brooklyn\u2019s organizers got an answer.<\/p>\n
Organizers of the annual Queens Columbus Day Parade in Astoria said the mayor never responded to an invitation to attend their parade \u2014 leaving them hanging as it concluded Saturday near the Columbus statue by Astoria Boulevard, the same monument Mamdani famously flipped the bird to in 2020.<\/p>\n
Participants take part in the Brooklyn Columbus Day Parade along 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst on Saturday. Michael Nagle for NY Post<\/p>\n
And the mayor is also unlikely to attend the larger Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan on Monday, sources said.<\/p>\n
The Columbus Citizens Foundation, which runs the famed parade along Fifth Avenue, got plenty of heat from other Italian American groups for trying to extend an olive branch to Mamdani <\/a>by inviting him to the event despite the socialist mayor\u2019s past rocky relationship with Italian Americans.<\/p>\n Christopher\u00a0Loiacono, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, and other leaders of the group did not return messages. <\/p>\n But Angie Markham, executive director of FAIO of Queens, which organizes the Astoria event, said Mamdani not attending the Astoria parade \u201cisn\u2019t gonna make or break the event for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani slapped New York City\u2019s Italian American community in the face again Saturday \u2014 snubbing Brooklyn\u2019s annual Columbus Day Parade and ghosting organizers of a similar event in Queens. Andrew Schwartz \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n \u201cPeople wanna change history,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is what it is. This is the day we chose to [honor] Italian heritage. The Spanish have a whole month. The blacks have a whole month. We have one day. Leave us alone!\u201d<\/p>\n Jerry Iannece, a criminal court judge and parade chairman, said Mamdani and other far left pol\u2019s distain for Columbus is \u201cmisguided,\u201d adding \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of people who want to rewrite history.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlo Scissura, vice chairman of the FAIO of Brooklyn,<\/a>\u00a0declined to address Mamdani\u2019s snub at the Bensonhurst parade but said, \u201cWe are proud and excited to host our annual parade, a powerful celebration of Italian American heritage, pride and culture.\u201d <\/p>\n Many Brooklyn patrons said they were upset \u2014 but not shocked \u2014 Mamdani snubbed Big Apple Italian Americans yet again.<\/p>\n Participants during the Brooklyn Columbus Day Parade. Michael Nagle for NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing because we elected him the mayor, and he is supposed to be representing everybody,\u201d said Albert Esposito, 72, a retired school teacher. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a slap in the face to the Italian American community.\u201d said Paul DeSpirito, 53, who runs a neighborhood Italian sandwich and catering business.<\/p>\n Others said they were glad Mamdani was a no-show. <\/p>\n A June 2020 social media post by Mamdani gave the finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus in Queens and said \u201cTake it down.\u201d Zohran Mamdani\/X<\/p>\n \u201cF\u2013 you! He wouldn\u2019t be welcomed,\u201d ripped one man who wanted to remain anonymous. <\/p>\n The Mayor\u2019s Office did not immediately return messages.<\/p>\n The mayor came under fire in July after his administration left Little Italy \u2014 along with other beloved ethnic neighborhoods \u2014 off a newly released city map<\/a> of immigrant enclaves despite it being a nationally recognized historic district.<\/p>\n Mamdani insisted the list wasn\u2019t \u201cexhaustive\u201d and said future versions would be amended to include Little Italy. But the friction with Italian Americans goes back further.<\/p>\n A man dressed as Christopher Columbus pulls a ship during the Brooklyn Columbus Day Parade. Michael Nagle for NY Post<\/p>\n