NYC Mayor Mamdani Compares Irish History to “Genocide” in Gaza at St. Patrick’s Event

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani compared the historical oppression of the Irish to what he described as a “genocide” unfolding in Gaza during a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast Tuesday at Gracie Mansion attended by former Irish President Mary Robinson.

Speaking at the event that launched the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Mamdani used the occasion to criticize what he called a “deafening silence” from many observers regarding the Israel–Hamas war while framing Irish history as a source of solidarity with Palestinians.

“Who can better understand those who weep than those who have been made to weep for so long?” Mamdani said. “The story of the Irish, both in Ireland and in New York City, is at one time a story of oppression, of subjugation, and of discrimination.”

The mayor argued that the Irish experience with hardship and discrimination had helped shape a broader tradition of support for oppressed peoples around the world.

“I say this as over the past few years, as we’ve witnessed a genocide unfold before our eyes, there has been deafening silence from so many,” Mamdani said. “For those who have long cared about universal human rights and the extension of them to Palestinians, silence, however, is nothing new, for Palestinians are so often left to weep alone.”

Mamdani praised Robinson, who served as Ireland’s president from 1990 to 1997 and later as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, saying she had consistently spoken out in support of Palestinian rights.

“Palestinians are so often left to weep alone. Yet former President Robinson has never been silent,” Mamdani said, referencing her record of public advocacy on human rights issues.

Robinson briefly addressed the gathering of about 50 attendees and pointed to conflicts around the world.

“We know others are living under the shadow of war and suffering in Iran, in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Ukraine, in Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo, and in too many other places,” Robinson said.

She added that many Irish people feel a connection to those conflicts because of Ireland’s own history.

“For many Irish people, these realities resonate deeply. Our own history holds memories of famine, exile, and conflict. Perhaps because of that, many recognize echoes of Ireland’s past within the suffering of others today.”

Robinson has previously voiced strong criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In public statements last year following a visit to the Rafah border area, she said it was her personal view that the conflict amounted to what she described as an “unfolding genocide.”

After the breakfast, Mamdani attended Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan before marching up Fifth Avenue in the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and other officials.

Asked by reporters after the Mass to elaborate on his comparison between the Irish and Palestinians, Mamdani said he drew inspiration from Ireland’s history of political solidarity movements.

“What we’ve seen time and time again is that it has been the Irish who have been standing up whenever there’s been a person or people oppressed,” he said, citing Ireland’s early stance against apartheid in South Africa and the country’s long-standing support for Palestinian statehood.