Zohran Mamdani takes a daring position – and he sends undulations through the race for New York town hall.
Monday, the Democratic announced that he would withdraw from a local ABC town hall scheduled for Thursday, as reported for the first time by amnewyork. Mamdani said he had made the decision to defend freedom of expression, responding to Jimmy Kimmel suspension of the network.
“ABC withdrawn Jimmy Kimmel from the Airs after the FCC sought to put them pressure,” said Mamdani at a press conference at the state park form Freedoms on the island of Roosevelt, who honors President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1941 speech This freedom of expression called as a cornerstone of democracy.
Later Monday, Disney would have announcement That it would end Kimmel’s suspension in ABC.
“We spent the last days to have thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after these conversations, we made the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” Disney said in a statement.
However, Mamdani’s decision to withdraw from the Town hall ABC is a facet of his firm position against the violations of the Trump administration on the first amendment.
“The message he sends to each American through this country is a message on which the first amendment is no longer a right on which it can be counted, but rather that it is the government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be explained. And we cannot normalize this type of acts or offenses. These must be the basis we act,” said Mamdani.
He has drawn up his decision as a provocative position against the Trump administration Authoritarian tactics aimed at suppressing freedom of expression.
“I will use my power as mayor to fight those who seek to divide us, those who seek to abuse their power, those who seek to remove our freedom,” said Mamdani. “Because it is not the government’s work to intimidate the Air Hoste Talk shows. It is not the government’s work to tell us what we can and cannot speak.”
Mamdani has not yet approached the end of Kimmel’s suspension.
According to Mamdani’s campaign, the Town Hall ABC had been on the calendar for weeks and had to start promotion this weekend, but its team “still plans a certain number of future town halls”.
Kimmel’s late evening show was suspended shortly after the broadcast of his monologue The alleged killer From the conservative activist Charlie Kirk – and only a few hours after the president of the Federal Commission for Communications Brendan Carr publicly put pressure on the network. Carr remarks, formulated as a warning to Disney and ABC, highlighted the high issues For the radiudiffusers who are trying to sail in speech control by the Trump administration.
“We can do it the simplest way or the way to the hard”, Carr said on a podcast. “These companies can find ways to change driving to act, frankly, on Kimmel. Or, you know, there will be additional work for the FCC to come. ”
In his monologue, Kimmel accused the Conservatives of politicizing Kirk’s death, saying: “We hit new stockings during the weekend with the Gang Maga trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as something other than one of them.”
But removing Kimmel ignited a storm of fireWith the Texas Gop Ted Cruz Senator adage“We should not threaten the government’s power to force him to leave the air. This is a real mistake.”
And following the suspension, the demonstrations broke out new York And Los AngelesWhile several Republicans, including the outgoing representative. Donation Nebraska and senator RAND PAUL From Kentucky – said Carr’s threats to ABC, Paul saying that Carr has “no business to weigh” on issues like this.
THE Family party workingA progressive organization which supports the candidacy for the town hall of Mamdani, has seized the time to urge the Democrats to return Disney and ABC Affilié Nexstar and Sinclair donations.
Throughout his campaign, Mamdani positioned himself as an intrepid challenger by Trump, contrasting with his two forever opponents, former governor Andrew Cuomo and the outgoing mayor Eric Adams, whom he called “the so-called leaders”, showing “cowardice because they are looking for the White House for their path to their future ambitions”.
Cuomo said he didn’t speak To President Donald Trump about the town hall race, although reports suggest that Trump is Try to put Other candidates to abandon, so Cuomo has a better chance of defeating Mamdani. Likewise, Adams insists that he does not hit a counterpart With the Ministry of Justice to bring down its corruption case.
Mamdani’s decision reports that the race for New York town hall is more than local policy – is also a battle for freedom of expression.
