NEW YORK, Jul 16 : Hailing South African icon Nelson Mandela, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the anti-apartheid leader lives in every protest for justice and every march with a righteous demand, while mentioning the imprisonment of activist Umar Khalid among others.
Mamdani made these remarks during a keynote address on Mandela's legacy at the Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum held at the New York City town hall on Wednesday.
"Madiba lives in every protest for justice, every call for democracy, every march with a righteous demand," Mamdani said.
Highlighting Mandela's struggle, Mamdani said that almost everyone claims they opposed apartheid and they stood with Madiba.
"Eventually, almost everyone will claim they oppose so much of the injustice that they justify today. But justice is not measured by where we stand after history has issued its verdict. It is measured by where we stand when the verdict is still being rendered," he said.
Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, mentioned the detention of Palestinian paediatrician Hussam Idris Abu Safiya in Israel and several other cases, including Khalid's case.
"Why must we wait as Umar Khalid enters his 6th year of captivity in Delhi? A political prisoner jailed under the same manufactured charges of terrorism that were once levelled against Madiba," Mamdani said.
In January, it emerged that Mamdani had written a note for Khalid, recalling his words on "bitterness" and the importance of not letting it consume one's self.
The note was posted on X by Khalid's partner Banojyotsna Lahiri.
Khalid has been in jail for almost six years after being booked under the UAPA and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being part of a larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi that killed 53 people.( PTI)
