Brad Lander, a congressional candidate from the left, faced fierce backlash from protesters outside Madison Square Garden on Saturday. This was during a speech by Mohan Bhagwat, a leader known for Hindu-nationalist views who has drawn criticism from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Lander tried to join the protest against Bhagwat, who is the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a controversial organization. However, he was met with a wave of antisemitic remarks from the very people he thought would be on his side, forcing him to retreat for his safety, as captured in videos of the event.
The former Democratic comptroller seemed to expect support from the crowd for his anti-RSS stance. Yet, one particularly agitated protester yelled hostile slurs directly at him, making it clear that his presence was not accepted.
Lander responded to the heckler, insisting, “Bring it on,” but he was soon drowned out by shouts from the group demanding he leave, objecting to any “Zionist” involvement in their cause.
While Lander, a Jewish candidate for New York’s 10th Congressional district, has voiced critical opinions regarding Israel, he describes himself as a “liberal Zionist.”
The crowd of demonstrators protested Bhagwat’s event, underscoring issues regarding the treatment of religious minorities, particularly Muslims. Approximately 5,000 attendees from Indian American communities gathered at the venue to hear Bhagwat speak.
This week, Mayor Mamdani expressed his disagreement with the event’s ideology, stating it contradicts the inclusive values of New York City. However, he acknowledged that the city lacked the authority to cancel private events like this one.
Mamdani, who spoke at a press conference, expressed concern over the growing prominence of a movement based on exclusionary ideals. His upbringing, in a pluralistic family in Uganda, partly informs his opposition to such nationalist ideologies.
Protest signs outside the venue conveyed stark messages about the violence faced by various religious groups in India, contrasting with the event’s promotional materials highlighting unity among the Hindu American community.
Peter Friedrich, an independent journalist attending the protest, criticized Mamdani’s stance as insufficiently forceful, suggesting he should have explicitly identified the RSS in his remarks.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has noted that the RSS, which serves as the ideological foundation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has a history of violent actions against minority groups.
Nevertheless, the RSS denies these claims of intolerance, presenting itself as a cultural movement focused on enhancing Hindu identity and unity.
The Post reached out to Brad Lander for comments, but he has not responded as of yet.
