A firefighter in uniform screamed at a costumed protester near Ground Zero to “go back to f–king Palestine” during dueling demonstrations that turned chaotic on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, is not a member of the FDNY, the department told The Post. A source said he belongs to a fire department elsewhere in New York State. The confrontation unfolded on shut-down streets near the solemn memorial ceremony honoring those who died 25 years ago.
“F–king anti-American motherf–ker. Go back to f–king Palestine. We don’t want you here,” the firefighter screamed at the demonstrator, who was wearing an Elmo costume draped in a Palestinian flag.
He then suggested the man take several Democratic politicians with him. “Take ’em all. They’re all no f–king good!” he yelled. “You’re no f–king good.” The politicians he named were former President Barack Obama, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The costumed demonstrator was part of a radical counterprotest group that stormed Lower Manhattan on Friday in opposition to far-right influencer Jake Lang’s “Crusader March.” That march featured participants carrying signs that read “Deport All Muslims,” according to sources. The opposing groups clashed violently, with punches thrown and at least one demonstrator taken away in handcuffs.
As the firefighter and the costumed protester turned away from each other, another voice could be heard nearby repeating pro-Palestinian talking points. “The Jews are committing a genocide,” the person said.
Video of the firefighter’s tirade circulated widely online, drawing substantial support from social media users. “Give this guy a key to the city!” one person commented. Another wrote: “Can you really blame him? I mean for all we know this gentleman could’ve been one of the firefighters that responded to the events of September 11.” A third emphasized: “I stand with the firefighter. That’s what every true American should stand for.”
The FDNY moved quickly to distance itself from the incident. “We are aware of the video circulating of someone wearing a uniform having a verbal altercation today. This person appears to be from another fire department and is not and has never been a member of the FDNY,” a spokesperson said.
The protests erupted just blocks from where families gathered to mark a quarter-century since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The memorial ceremony proceeded as planned while the clashes unfolded nearby, the shouting and chaos contrasting sharply with the solemnity of the occasion.
Lang’s “Crusader March” and the counterprotest it attracted transformed a day of remembrance into a scene of street violence and inflammatory rhetoric from multiple sides, with the firefighter’s outburst becoming the most widely shared moment from a divisive afternoon in Lower Manhattan.