Key facts
- The U.S. Coast Guard removed the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater vessel from the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor.
- The vessel displayed banners with messages including '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.
- The Coast Guard stated the owner declined to remove the message, leading to the vessel's removal from the parade.
- Hudson River Sloop Clearwater disputed the Coast Guard's account, claiming they were asked to leave the route or face arrest.
The U.S. Coast Guard removed a vessel belonging to the environmental group Hudson River Sloop Clearwater from the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor on Saturday. The removal was due to banners displayed on the ship that the Coast Guard deemed 'politically charged,' violating an agreement for participants to refrain from such messages.
The banners read "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions." According to the Coast Guard, the owner of the sloop was contacted and asked to remove the message or be removed from the parade, which they declined to do.
Jen Benson, director of advocacy and communications at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, disputed the Coast Guard's account. She stated that the Coast Guard did not request the messages be taken down but instead asked the ship to leave the sailing route or risk arrest. Benson argued that advocating for clean water is not a politically charged message.
Sail4th 250 was one of the events associated with Freedom 250, a group established by the Trump administration to plan celebrations for the country's 250th anniversary. The parade featured over 40 tall ships from 20 foreign countries.