Children's YouTube personality Ms Rachel (Rachel Accurso) has publicly defended New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after criticism over whether he should attend the city's 9/11 memorial on the attacks' 25th anniversary. In an Instagram post, she called Mamdani "awesome" and "a kind, gentle soul," and accused some critics of expressing Islamophobia, framing this as inconsistent with Christian teachings. Her intervention adds a prominent, unexpected voice to a politically charged row over the mayor's attendance at one of America's most solemn annual commemorations.

The controversy centres on Mamdani's past rhetoric and associations, including praise for an imam linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, an endorsement of a candidate who described 9/11 in terms of "US capitalism" and "White supremacy," and links to activist Hasan Piker, who once said the US "deserved" the attacks. A petition signed by more than 100,000 people, led by families of 9/11 victims, has urged Mamdani to stay away from the memorial, and he has separately faced criticism for giving a ceremonial pen to an aide who once represented a convicted al-Qaeda figure. Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.