What to Know
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to acts of vandalism apparently created by the Proud Boys group
- Posters and banners were found around New York City bridges Sunday morning, according to Cuomo's office
- Last month, two members of the Proud Boys group were sentenced to prison for violence in Manhattan
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday fired back at the far-right group that apparently vandalized several bridges and tunnels across New York City with propaganda banners.
"New York is not intimidated or threatened by neo-facists," Gov. Cuomo said in response to the Proud Boys branded banners spotted in Queens, Midtown, Lincoln, Holland and Brooklyn Battery Tunnels, and the Manhattan Bridge.
The banners included anti-Italian American stereotypes and what the governor calls "extremist right-wing propaganda."
"I have a message for the 'Bigot Boys' who skulk around like cowards in the dead of night: when you preach hate and division, New York answers with love and unity. Crawl back into your hole, Bigot Boys — there's no place for hate in our state," the Democratic governor continued.
The Port Authority confirmed the banners were discovered sometime early Sunday and they were quickly removed. The agency's spokesperson says authorities are investigating the incidents, but said that there was no breach of security at the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels.
Chiming in late Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the right-wing group "an embarrassment to humanity."
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"Next time you’re on the highway, do us a favor and drive the hell out of town. Your pathetic, hateful stunts have no place in this city," he wrote on Twitter.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal advocacy organization, has designated the all-male Proud Boys as a hate group.
And just last month, two members of the Proud Boys group were sentenced to prison for violence in Manhattan which sparked following the group founder's speech in October 2018.
