Socialist NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Chased Out of Park by Protester Calling Him ‘Antisemite’
Zohran Mamdani, the far-left city councilman now running for mayor of New York City, was forced to flee Foley Square this week after a protester accused him of antisemitism and confronted his staff in a tense standoff caught on video.
The man, identified as Raul Rivera of the Bronx, approached Mamdani during a rally in support of Attorney General Letitia James, who was recently indicted on federal charges. Rivera shouted, “Antisemite! Denounce Sharia law! Denounce Hezbollah!” as Mamdani was escorted into a black SUV.
Footage shows Rivera waving a Trump flag and shoving a Mamdani staffer who had stepped between him and the vehicle. “Get the f–k off me, bro!” Rivera shouted as he pushed back. A woman in the driver’s seat told Rivera to “get a job” before speeding off with the candidate inside.
At Foley Square, counter-protesters chased Zohran Mamdani, shouting “antisemite” and demanding he denounce Hezbollah and Sharia. His security intervened. Politics is turning ugly in NYC. pic.twitter.com/ruGMGppub5
— The US Ledger (@The_US_Ledger) October 11, 2025
This isn’t Rivera’s first clash with Mamdani. In June, he was arrested for biting a 29-year-old Mamdani campaign volunteer at another Lower Manhattan event. That altercation also stemmed from accusations of anti-Israel bias. The victim was hospitalized, and Rivera was charged with assault.
Rivera’s latest confrontation followed Mamdani’s decision to use the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack — which left over 1,200 Israelis dead — to accuse Israel of waging a “genocidal war.” Mamdani has also refused to disavow past use of the slogan “globalize the intifada,” though he now claims to oppose antisemitism.
The protest escalated when Rivera called Mamdani a “f–king rat.” One of Mamdani’s staffers shoved him, and Rivera responded by repeatedly pushing back. Despite the scuffle, no arrests were made on the scene.
Mamdani remained silent during the incident. Fellow progressive Jumaane Williams, also present at the protest, brushed off the confrontation. “We’re out here to allow people like this to do this,” he said, flashing a peace sign. “In an authoritarian regime, they’d be thrown away — but we protect everybody.”
Rivera has a history of heckling politicians across the political spectrum, but this latest clash came amid growing criticism of Mamdani’s extreme rhetoric and refusal to condemn violent anti-Israel slogans.
Just minutes earlier, Mamdani had taken the microphone to blast Trump for Letitia James’ indictment, calling it “a blatant miscarriage of justice” and “political retribution.” James led the now-overturned civil case against Trump’s real estate empire, a case Trump has called a political witch hunt.
The latest confrontation puts a spotlight on Mamdani’s polarizing record and the deepening tension around Israel-Palestine rhetoric in local politics.