According to the viral post, the committee sought to keep Rama Duwaji and her associates at least 1,000 feet away from this year’s memorial event.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Amid ongoing discussions and controversies surrounding New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s planned attendance at the upcoming 9/11 anniversary, social media users began sharing a rumor that a no-trespass order had been issued against the mayor’s wife, Rama Duwaji.
This rumor quickly gained traction online, leading investigators to look into its validity.
The Claim: A No-Trespass Order for Rama Duwaji
A widely shared Facebook post, which linked to an external article, claimed that the September 11th Memorial Committee had secured a legal order preventing NYC First Lady Rama Duwaji from attending the annual ceremony.
The fabricated legal filing alleged, “We understand that she was planning to stage a ‘Free Palestine’ disturbance in the crowd that would overshadow the somber ceremony on the 26th anniversary of the attacks. We ask that the court issue an order keeping her and her affiliates at least 1000 feet from the event.”
The accompanying article falsely stated that the petition had been filed in Manhattan Federal Court by lawyers representing a group called the “September 11th Memorial Committee for Uninterrupted Mourning.”
While some social media users easily recognized the post as a joke, others reacted as though the report were completely genuine.
Fact Check: The Story Stems from Satire
Although certain groups representing 9/11 victims’ families have indeed asked Mayor Mamdani to skip the upcoming memorial, there is zero truth to the rumor regarding a restraining order against his wife.
A thorough review of public records reveals no statements, press releases, or petitions from any official entity attempting to bar Duwaji from the grounds.
Furthermore, standard web searches yield no legitimate news coverage of the supposed lawsuit, and records show no actual organization operating under the names “September 11th Memorial Committee” or “September 11th Memorial Committee for Uninterrupted Mourning.”
The rumor originated from a Facebook page named “America’s Last Line Of Defense,” which explicitly states in its profile disclaimer: “Nothing on this page is real.”
Mayor Mamdani Addresses 9/11 Ceremony Pressures
The satirical rumor arrived while Mayor Mamdani faces genuine political pressure from some 9/11 family groups who have requested he sit out the upcoming anniversary events.
When questioned by reporters about calls for his absence, Mamdani responded, “I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders, forever impacted by that horrific attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration, reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home and, frankly, by all of us who call this country home.”