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FIRST ON FOX: New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani employed a Hunter College graduate who went viral for tearing down posters of Israeli hostages, in the latest controversy for the politician facing accusations of antisemitism.
Frances Hamed is a Hunter College and Macaulay Honors College graduate who attracted international attention after being caught days after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack tearing down posters of Israeli hostages who were abducted by Hamas.
Hamas invaded Israel on that day, killing more than 1,200 people, kidnapping about 250, wounding thousands more and raping women. At least 378 concertgoers were murdered when terrorists opened fire at the Nova music festival.
Two years later, Hamed landed an internship with New York State legislator turned NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani, according to Canary Mission, an organization that combats antisemitism.
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A video posted to X on Oct. 31, 2023, shows Hamed along with another individual tearing down hostage posters while Israel was still identifying bodies from the attack. When she realized she was being filmed, Hamed attempted to cover her face.
“Stop harassing us… you are not allowed to put those [posters] there… you cannot post them,” Hamed yelled at the woman filming her.
Hamed was identified by the New York Post and Canary Mission. She was also photographed at a rally organized by Samidoun, a radical anti-Israel group that is labeled by the Office of Foreign Assets Control as a “sham charity” that raises money for terrorism. She was holding the corner of a huge banner that read “Glory to our Palestinian Martyrs,” according to Canary Mission.
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Hamed served as a constituent services intern for Mamdani from February to May 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is the second the Mamdani intern linked to radical anti-Israel activism.
Former Mamdani intern Hadeeqa Malik, who worked in communications, outreach and policy, previously said activism was “all Jihad.”
“The true believer knows that none of this is in vain, that this is all Jihad,” Malik said.
Mamdani’s radical interns add to concerns about his anti-Israel stances. The candidate supports the BDS movement, which seeks to boycott, divest and sanction Israel, and backs New York City permanently divesting from Israel bonds.
He has also failed to condemn the slogan “Globalize The Intifada,” though he recently said he would “discourage” its use. More than 1,000 Israelis were killed in the second intifada from 2000 to 2005, which was marked by Palestinian suicide bombings. After the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, he issued a statement that did not condemn Hamas but instead labeled Israel an “apartheid” state.
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Mamdani has also associated with left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, who claimed America “deserved 9/11.” Mamdani sat down with Piker for an interview in April.
Hamed did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and his Assembly office; neither responded.
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