Firefighter verbally attacks Elmo-costumed pro-Palestinian protester near 9/11 memorial
A New York City firefighter shouted profanity at a protester dressed as Elmo with a Palestinian flag near the 9/11 ceremony at Ground Zero.
A recording posted on X by Turning Point USA captures a New York City firefighter confronting a protester wearing an Elmo costume and a Palestinian flag near Ground Zero during the 25th-anniversary 9/11 memorial. The firefighter called the demonstrator "anti-American" and used profanity, telling him to return to Palestine. He also directed vulgar insults at former President Barack Obama, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
After the firefighter walked away, a bystander shouted an antisemitic comment, though the speaker was not identified. The video surfaced as the ceremony, attended by former presidents and Vice President JD Vance, proceeded nearby. FDNY and Turning Point USA have not commented on the incident.
Why it matters
The clash highlights heightened tensions around protests at a solemn national remembrance event.
How this story developed
- Sep 5 Fact-check finds no proof Abdul El-Sayed pledged support to Muslim Brotherhood
- Sep 7 Donald Trump claimed he went to the World Trade Center site with construction crews the day after 9/11, a statement disputed by first-responders.
- Sep 8 Trump added the Medal of Freedom award for Welles Crowther and the cutter‑naming announcement to the memorial event.
- Sep 9 A fact‑check concluded there is no evidence that Abdul El‑Sayed pledged support to the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Sep 11 Analyst David Rothkopf labeled Trump’s 9/11 rescue claim a desperate hero myth.
- Sep 11 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani exchanged a brief handshake during the 25th-anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center site.
- Sep 11 Giuliani met Mamdani at Ground Zero and exchanged a handshake.
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