Now Reading: NYC mayor says can’t cancel RSS chief’s MSG event
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NYC mayor says can’t cancel RSS chief’s MSG event
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the August 29 event at Madison Square Garden where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set to address around 5,000 people, but…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the August 29 event at Madison Square Garden where RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is set to address around 5,000 people, but added the city may lack jurisdiction to cancel a private gathering.
Speaking at a news conference, the Indian-origin mayor said the vision of India he grew up with was that of a pluralistic, secular republic, and he finds the rise of an exclusionary movement deeply troubling both as an Indian-American and as mayor of a city that believes in belonging for all.
Several interfaith and civil rights groups, including Hindus for Human Rights and the Indian American Muslim Council, held a press conference opposing the event. The Universal Oneness Celebration, organised by AHEAD Forum, says the event carries the message that 'the world is one family'.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mamdani's hands-off stance reflects the First Amendment's strong protections for private speech in the US, where government cancellation of a private venue booking on ideological grounds would almost certainly be struck down as prior restraint. The real pressure point is Madison Square Garden itself: private venues in New York have faced public campaigns to drop politically charged events, though they rarely reverse a signed contract. For the Indian diaspora watching, the episode tests how far the Sangh's global outreach can project its vision in a Western civic space that guarantees assembly but not approval. The event goes ahead on August 29 as scheduled.
For the Indian diaspora watching, the episode tests how far the Sangh's global outreach can project its vision in a Western civic space that guarantees assembly but not approval. The event goes ahead on August 29 as scheduled.
Source: telanganatoday.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
