Vessel forced out of New York ship parade over 'politically charged' banners [View all]
Source: Reuters
July 5, 2026 12:04 AM EDT Updated 42 mins ago
NEW YORK, July 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said "politically charged" messages led to the removal of an environmental group's vessel from a fleet of sailing ships gathered in New York on Saturday to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary.
A ship owned by the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater environmental organization was forced out of the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor, the Coast Guard said in a statement emailed to Reuters. The ship had banners that read, "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions".
Participants in the event had agreed to refrain from displaying political or politically charged messages or statements, according to the Coast Guard, which said it enforced the agreement on behalf of Sail4th.
"The owner of the sloop Clearwater was contacted and requested to remove the message being displayed or be removed from the parade of sail," the Coast Guard said. "They declined to remove it."
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/vessel-forced-out-new-york-ship-parade-over-politically-charged-banners-2026-07-05/
First Amendment for me but not for thee.
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