Mamdani in the hot seat after first veto derails bipartisan effort to combat antisemitism: 'Disappointed'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is sparking backlash after using his first veto to derail a bipartisan bill aimed at combating antisemitism by expanding protest security safeguards for places of education.

"This could impact workers protesting ICE or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights," Mamdani said in a statement Friday.

"It is a piece of legislation that has alarmed much of the labor movement, reproductive rights groups and immigration advocates, among others, across this city."

New York's former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent against Mamdani in the mayoral race last year, slammed Mamdani's decision on X, saying he "chose the whims of his radical, extreme-left DSA base over the safety of students and Jewish New Yorkers at a time of rising antisemitism."