New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was criticised for taking several hours to comment on a suspected antisemitic stabbing on the Upper West Side, while posting instead about a proposed housing tax. Other New York officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul, condemned the attack more quickly, making the episode politically significant amid concerns over antisemitic violence and leaders’ responses.

Officials said an Asian man and a Jewish man were stabbed on Thursday afternoon, and witness and victim accounts reportedly indicated the attacker used antisemitic language. The article characterised the incident as a suspected hate crime and focused on the contrast between Mamdani’s delayed response and the immediate condemnation from other state figures.