--- title: "Firefighter confronts Elmo-dressed protester near Ground Zero on 9/11" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-12T11:46:40.295Z" source_reported: "2026-09-12T06:49:06.000Z" updated: "2026-09-12T11:46:40.295Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 57 hype_score: 61 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-12T13:00:22.589192+00:00" --- # Firefighter confronts Elmo-dressed protester near Ground Zero on 9/11 *A man in uniform told a pro-Palestinian demonstrator to 'go back to Palestine' during the 9/11 memorial ceremony.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to Turning Point USA video, with FDNY confirming awareness of the incident. - Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. Reports include direct quotes and context, but some rely on digests and lack independent verification. - Hype 61 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and content emphasize confrontation and strong language, using terms like 'tearing into' and 'goes off'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A man in a firefighter's uniform confronted a pro-Palestinian demonstrator dressed as Elmo near Ground Zero on 9/11. - The uniformed man told the protester to 'Go back to f, ing Palestine' and called him 'anti-American'. - The man also directed the protester to take former President Barack Obama, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with him. - The FDNY stated the person in the video appears to be from another fire department and is not a member of the FDNY. During the 9/11 memorial ceremony on Friday, a man wearing a firefighter's uniform confronted a pro-Palestinian demonstrator near Ground Zero. The demonstrator was dressed in an Elmo costume and carried a Palestinian flag. Video of the incident was shared on X. The uniformed man shouted at the protester, calling him 'anti-American' and telling him to 'Go back to f, ing Palestine'. He also instructed the protester to take former President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with him, stating, 'They’re all no f, g good!' The FDNY has stated that the individual in the video appears to be from a different fire department and is not affiliated with the FDNY. ## Disagreement on context Internewscast reported that frustration from Americans attending the 9/11 memorial service nearby was 'spilling over'. The Gateway Pundit added context about Mayor Mamdani's appearance at the ceremony, noting a petition with over 100,000 signatures to bar him and alleging he was caught on camera laughing with Representative Ocasio-Cortez as the names of the dead were read. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports below mention the FDNY's statement that the person in the video appears to be from another fire department and is not a member of the FDNY. The centre-rated report included this detail. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 12% (1) - Right: 88% (7) 2 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-12T13:00:22.589192+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-12T13:45:17.942Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Internewscast led with the confrontation between the firefighter and the Elmo-dressed protester near Ground Zero on 9/11. It included the specific insults and demands made by the uniformed man, such as telling the protester to 'Go back to f, Palestine' and to take specific politicians with him. The report also noted the FDNY's statement that the individual was not a member of their department and mentioned that the incident occurred during the 9/11 memorial ceremony. It also included a detail about another voice in the video saying, 'The Jews are committing a genocide.' ### Right - Right-rated reports from The Gateway Pundit, Life and Liberty, wfmd.com, democraticaccent.com, and Fox News all highlighted the confrontation between a New York firefighter and a pro-Palestinian demonstrator in an Elmo costume near Ground Zero on 9/11. These reports focused on the firefighter's expletive-laden remarks, including telling the protester to 'Go back to f*cking Palestine' and to take Barack Obama, Zohran Mamdani, Kathy Hochul, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with him. The Gateway Pundit provided additional commentary on Mayor Mamdani's attendance at the ceremony, referencing a petition against his presence and alleging he laughed with Representative Ocasio-Cortez during the reading of names. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - mixed: 7 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/09/12/nyc-firefighter-rips-9-11-agitator-go-back-to-fking-palestine-and-take-mamdani-aoc-and-hochul-too-1658642) — NYC firefighter rips 9/11 agitator: ‘Go back to f**king Palestine… and take Mamdani, AOC and Hochul too!’ - [American Wire News](https://americanwirenews.com/nyc-firefighter-rips-9-11-agitator-go-back-to-fking-palestine-and-take-mamdani-aoc-and-hochul-too) — NYC firefighter rips 9/11 agitator: 'Go back to f**king Palestine... and take Mamdani, AOC and Hochul too!' · American Wire News - [Life and Liberty](https://thepatriotchronicles.com/news-for-you/nyc-firefighter-tells-pro-palestine-protester-to-go-back-to-fcking-palestine) — NYC Firefighter Tells Pro-Palestine Protester to ‘Go back to f*cking Palestine’ - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/us/firefighter-seen-tearing-into-pro-palestinian-protester-in-elmo-costume-near-ground-zero-on-9-11) — Firefighter Seen Tearing Into Pro-Palestinian Protester in Elmo Costume Near Ground Zero on 9/11 - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/?p=9581989) — Firefighter Confronts Pro-Palestinian Protester Near Ground Zero - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/11/nyc-firefighter-caught-on-camera-ripping-pro-palestinian-agitator-in-elmo-costume-near-ground-zero-on-9-11) — NYC firefighter caught on camera ripping pro-Palestinian agitator in Elmo costume near Ground Zero on 9/11 - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/firefighter-caught-on-camera-ripping-pro-palestinian-agitator-in-elmo-costume-near-ground-zero-on-9-11) — Firefighter caught on camera ripping pro-Palestinian agitator in Elmo costume near Ground Zero on 9/11 – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/us/nyc-firefighter-caught-camera-ripping-pro-palestinian-agitator-elmo-costume-near-ground-zero-9-11) — NYC firefighter caught on camera ripping pro-Palestinian agitator in Elmo costume near Ground Zero on 9/11 - [Politics, Policy, Political News](https://politicom.com.au/watch-nyc-firefighter-goes-off-on-pro-palestine-protester-go-back-to-fcking-palestine-take-fcking-obama-take-fcking-mamdani-and-fcking-aoc) — NYC Firefighter Goes Off on Pro-Palestine Protester – “Go Back to F*cking Palestine… Take F*cking Obama, Take F*cking Mamdani, and F*cking AOC!” - Politics, Policy, Political Views - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/watch-nyc-firefighter-goes-pro-palestine-protester-go) — NYC Firefighter Goes Off on Pro-Palestine Protester – “Go Back to F*cking Palestine… Take F*cking Obama, Take F*cking Mamdani, and F*cking AOC!” * The Gateway Pundit * by Jordan Conradson ## Questions **What happened near Ground Zero on 9/11?** A man in a firefighter's uniform confronted a pro-Palestinian demonstrator dressed as Elmo near Ground Zero during the 9/11 memorial ceremony. The uniformed man shouted insults and told the protester to 'Go back to f, ing Palestine'. **What did the firefighter say to the protester?** The man in uniform called the pro-Palestinian demonstrator 'anti-American' and told him to 'Go back to f, ing Palestine'. He also instructed the protester to take former President Barack Obama, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with him. **Was the firefighter part of the FDNY?** The FDNY stated that the person in the video appears to be from another fire department and is not a member of the FDNY. The reports do not identify the specific fire department the individual belongs to. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Firefighter confronts Elmo-dressed protester near Ground Zero on 9/11", https://mediabias.news/politics/firefighter-confronts-elmo-dressed-protester-near-ground-zero-on-911