A Hunter College alum, who gained notoriety for tearing down Israeli posters, has secured an internship in the office of State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who himself was taken hostage by Hamas.
Francis McCallimbon Hamed was filmed in a 2023 incident alongside another activist as they destroyed a poster related to hostages. Following the incident, she was hired as a “component service intern” in Mamdani’s office.
On Tuesday, Mamdani’s campaign acknowledged that Hamed is one of his interns but stated they were unaware of the video at the time of her hiring.
“This individual has been adopted and never been adopted in the Mamdani Campaign,” a spokesperson mentioned. They were clear that Hamed was not part of the Congressional office when the footage was taken and that they had no knowledge of it during her employment.
The Bronx native worked in a democratic socialist office from February to May, assisting residents with various issues, including unemployment and housing, as noted on Hunter’s website.
Hamed mentioned her interests in future roles with the mayor’s immigration office or asylum seeker initiatives.
She became a part of Mamdani’s team after an incident where she and another activist were filmed destroying an Israeli hostage poster near the Upper East Side campus following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
“What is your name? Did you come from Hunter?” Hamed can be heard asking repeatedly in the viral footage while attempting to shield her face.
After their actions drew attention from the Watchdog nonprofit, the footage went viral, and social media users quickly identified them.
Efforts to reach Hamed for comments were unsuccessful.
Hamed is not the only intern from Mamdani’s campaign connected to anti-Israel activities. A student from City College, Hadika Azu Malik, had previously garnered attention for criticizing Muslim police officers during Palestinian protests. According to her LinkedIn profile, Malik also served in various roles at Mamdani’s Parliamentary District Office.
