You were comfortable using Palestine to win office. Now we hold you accountable.
In the weeks following his election, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani found himself confronted by the very coalition that carried him to power — hundreds of protesters marching from Columbia University toward City College on a May evening, invoking the two-year anniversary of dismantled campus encampments to remind him that political rhetoric, once spoken, becomes a kind of debt. The march, titled 'From Harlem to Gaza,' was less a demonstration against an adversary than a reckoning with an ally, raising the enduring question of how movements survive the transition from opposition to governance. What the crowd demanded was not merely policy but proof — that the language of liberation had not simply been borrowed for electoral purposes and then quietly returned.
- Several hundred protesters took to Amsterdam Avenue, refusing police direction to stay on the sidewalk, their chants echoing a movement that feels its moment slipping into institutional delay.
- A chant openly expressing support for Hamas was swiftly revised mid-march when protesters noticed press recording nearby, revealing the live tension between conviction and consequence.
- Demonstrators delivered a sweeping list of demands — university divestment, police restructuring, property tax reimposition, and the abolition of a college board — framing them not as requests but as overdue obligations.
- The release of detained Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva, secured through mayoral intervention with the Trump administration, was acknowledged but treated as a floor rather than a ceiling of what accountability requires.
- With his office silent and his base growing impatient, Mamdani now navigates the familiar and treacherous terrain where campaign solidarity meets the friction of municipal power.
On a Thursday evening in May, several hundred protesters gathered outside Columbia University to remind Mayor Zohran Mamdani of the promises that helped elect him. The march, called 'From Harlem to Gaza,' was timed to mark two years since the university dismantled its Gaza Solidarity Encampments. Many wore keffiyehs. They had come not to oppose their mayor but to hold him to account.
Mamdani's rise had been built, in part, on his alignment with Palestinian liberation causes — he had declined for months to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' cultivated ties with prominent Israel critics, and spoken to his left-wing base in the language of moral urgency. That base had elected him. Now they were back.
The march moved along Amsterdam Avenue toward City College, with NYPD officers unable to keep the crowd on the sidewalk. Chants included 'We don't want no two states, we want '48' and 'Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land.' At one point, a chant expressing support for Hamas emerged before being quickly revised to 'We support resistance here' — apparently after someone noticed press recording nearby.
The protesters carried a formal list of demands: university divestment from Israel and prison labor, removal of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, dissolution of the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, reimposition of property taxes on Columbia and NYU, and abolition of the City College Board of Trustees. One speaker addressed the mayor directly, warning him not to use Palestine as a political tool now that he held office.
The march also carried personal weight. A message was delivered from Elmina Aghayeva, a Columbia student detained by ICE and released after Mamdani intervened with the Trump administration — a sign of the mayor's nascent political capital, though protesters treated it as a beginning rather than a resolution.
Mamdani's office did not respond to requests for comment. He now faces what many newly elected officials encounter: the coalition that built his victory expects the transformation they were promised. Whether he can meet demands this sweeping — or chooses to — remains unresolved, but the crowd made clear they intend to keep returning until he answers.
On a Thursday evening in May, several hundred protesters gathered outside Columbia University's gates to remind their newly elected mayor of promises made during his campaign. The march, called "From Harlem to Gaza," was timed to mark two years since the university had dismantled the Gaza Solidarity Encampments that had occupied campus spaces and captured national attention. Many in the crowd wore keffiyehs. Some carried signs. They had come to hold Mayor Zohran Mamdani accountable—or so they saw it—for rhetoric that had helped elect him but had not yet, in their view, translated into action.
Mamdani's path to City Hall had been unusual. During his campaign, he had refused for months to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," a slogan many interpret as a call for violence against Jews. He had aligned himself with vocal Israel critics, including the far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and Mahmoud Khalil, a key organizer of anti-Israel protests at Columbia. He had cultivated support among the city's left-wing base by speaking to Palestinian liberation as a moral cause. That base had elected him. Now they were back, and they wanted to know what came next.
The march itself moved along Amsterdam Avenue from 116th Street toward City College, with New York Police Department officers attempting—without success—to keep protesters on the sidewalk rather than in the street. As the group walked, they chanted slogans that had become familiar at such gatherings: "We don't want no two states, we want '48," "from Harlem to Gaza, globalize the intifada," and "Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land." When they reached City College and stood within police barricades, the chanting intensified. At one point, a new chant emerged: "Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here." The chant was quickly revised to "We support resistance here" after a protester appeared to confer with a chant leader, seemingly aware that press were recording nearby.
The protesters had prepared a formal list of demands. They called on the city to require Columbia and City College to disclose all investments and divest from Israel, the Department of Homeland Security, and prison labor. They demanded Mamdani shut down what they described as the illegal sale of Palestinian land in New York City. They wanted Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch removed and the NYPD's Strategic Response Group dismantled. They called for property taxes to be reimposed on Columbia University and New York University to fund public schools. They demanded the abolition of the City College Board of Trustees. One speaker, reading from the list, directly addressed the mayor: "You were very comfortable in using the struggle of the liberation of Palestine to win the hearts of New Yorkers and to put you in office. But now that you're in office, we will hold you accountable to your words, and we will not allow you to use Palestine as a political tool."
The march also carried personal weight. One speaker delivered a message from Elmina Aghayeva, a Columbia student who had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Aghayeva had been released from ICE custody following a meeting between Mamdani and President Donald Trump—a fact that suggested the mayor's political capital, however newly acquired, could be deployed on behalf of his supporters. Yet the protesters seemed to view even this as insufficient. They chanted "Mamdani, take a stand, end the sale of stolen land" and "Zohran, take a side, justice or genocide."
Mamdani's office did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did the NYPD. The mayor now faces a political reality that many newly elected officials encounter: the coalition that brought you to power expects you to deliver on the promises that animated their support. In this case, that coalition is demanding not incremental change but what they frame as radical institutional transformation—divestment, police reform, tax policy shifts, and a fundamental reorientation of the city's relationship to Israel. Whether Mamdani can or will meet these demands remains an open question, but the protesters made clear they intend to keep asking.
Notable Quotes
You were very comfortable in using the struggle of the liberation of Palestine to win the hearts of New Yorkers and to put you in office. But now that you're in office, we will hold you accountable to your words.— Protester addressing Mayor Mamdani at the march
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the protesters feel the need to march now, two years after the encampments were dismantled?
Because Mamdani is now in a position to actually do something. During the campaign, he spoke their language. Now they want to see if he meant it.
The chant about Hamas—that seemed to get walked back pretty quickly.
Yes. Someone noticed the cameras and realized how that would play. The shift to "resistance" is safer politically, but it also reveals something: they know the optics matter, even if they don't want to admit it.
What's the actual leverage here? Can protesters really force a mayor to divest from Israel?
Not directly. But Mamdani built his coalition partly on this issue. If he ignores it, he risks losing the energy that got him elected. If he acts on it, he risks alienating other constituencies. He's trapped between two versions of his own campaign.
The ICE detention and release—that seemed important to the story.
It was. It showed Mamdani can deliver for his base when he wants to. But it also made the protesters' demands feel more urgent. If he can move mountains for one student, why not for the broader agenda?
Do you think he'll meet any of these demands?
Some, maybe. The divestment and investment disclosure are things cities have done before. But removing a police commissioner and abolishing a university board? That's much harder. He'll probably find a middle path and hope it's enough.