New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s invitation to Manhattan’s annual Columbus Day Parade has angered some Italian-American leaders, who object to his past criticism of Christopher Columbus. The Columbus Citizens Foundation said it extended the invitation to improve relations between City Hall and the Italian-American community, but critics say Mamdani’s attendance would be disrespectful.

The backlash centres on a 2020 post in which Mamdani shared a photograph of himself making an obscene gesture towards a Columbus statue and called for it to be removed. Critics also cited the city’s previous omission of Little Italy from an ethnic-enclave map, although Mamdani’s administration has moved to add it; it remains unclear whether he will attend the parade on 12 October. One critic has threatened a rival parade if the invitation is not withdrawn.