{"id":2210,"date":"2026-07-15T23:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/15\/new-york-mayor-blasted-over-justifying-rising-rape-numbers-video\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T23:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T23:31:08","slug":"new-york-mayor-blasted-over-justifying-rising-rape-numbers-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2210","title":{"rendered":"New York mayor blasted over justifying rising rape numbers (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 6.6% surge in sexual assault complaints came largely because of a broadened legal definition of the crime, Zohran Mamdani has claimed<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York City\u2019s self-professed \u2018democratic socialist\u2019 mayor Zohran Mamdani has drawn backlash for attributing the recent uptick in rape reports to an expanded definition of what constitutes the crime.<\/p>\n

In an interview with PIX11 News published on Monday, Mamdani was asked about recently released NYPD rape complaints statistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the increase in rape also comes from an expanded definition of what counts as rape, as well as survivors coming forward for acts that took place years prior,\u201d<\/em> he said. He did not elaborate on what he meant.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s statement about the \u201cexpanded definition\u201d<\/em> likely refers to NY\u2019s 2024 Rape is Rape Act, which broadened the definition of rape to any forced sexual intercourse. Prior to the decision, the definition was limited to non-consensual vaginal penetration with a penis.<\/p>\n

\n

NEW: @NYCMayor<\/a> addresses @JulieMenin<\/a> concerns of rape and felony assaults on the rise by saying the definition has changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the increase in rape, comes from an expanded definition of what counts as rape,\u201d says Mamdani. <\/p>\n

Stands by not increasing number of officers. pic.twitter.com\/Z7ObkZN2jA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan Mannarino (@DanMannarino) July 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to NYPD crime statistics<\/a> released last week, rape complaints are up 6.6% year to date. The figures cover the period from January-July, 2026, meaning the increase came well after the 2024 legislation took effect.<\/p>\n

The remarks prompted criticism from numerous people online, including New York City Council Member Susan Zhuang.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Why Americans no longer believe in America<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cExpanding the legal definition of rape was an important step\u2026 but it should never be used to deflect from the responsibility to reduce sexual violence. Survivors deserve leadership, action, accountability, and justice. They don\u2019t deserve deflection,\u201d<\/em> she wrote <\/a>on X in response to a clip of the interview.<\/p>\n

Mamdani, an openly socialist political outsider, campaigned on a platform focused on affordable housing, public ownership of utilities, and wealth taxation. He was elected last year despite little enthusiasm from fellow Democrats and fierce opposition from Republicans, including US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Trump initially described Mamdani as a \u201ccommunist\u201d<\/em> and warned that New Yorkers will soon flee<\/a> the city under his leadership, but moderated his rhetoric<\/a> after meeting the Democrat in person last November.<\/p>\n

\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>Trump warns of \u2018communist menace\u2019 in 250th US anniversary speech (VIDEO)
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

However, in his July 4 speech at Mount Rushmore, Trump warned about what he called \u201ca resurgence of the communist menace\u201d<\/em> in the US. Communism is \u201ca mortal threat to American liberty,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 6.6% surge in sexual assault complaints came largely because of a broadened legal definition of the crime, Zohran Mamdani has claimed New York City\u2019s self-professed \u2018democratic socialist\u2019 mayor Zohran … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}