The U.S. Coast Guard said it removed a ship owned by the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater from a fleet of tall ships participating in Sail4th 250 in New York Harbor after organizers concluded that banners displayed on the vessel were "politically charged." The incident took place on July 4, during festivities tied to the country's 250th anniversary.
According to a Coast Guard statement provided to Reuters, the ship displayed signage reading "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions." The Coast Guard said participants in the event had agreed not to display political or politically charged messages or statements, and that it was enforcing that 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." The agency's account frames its action as enforcing a prior rule intended to keep the parade free of political messaging.
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater dispute that description of events. Jen Benson, the group's director of advocacy and communications, said the Coast Guard did not ask that the banners be taken down. Instead, Benson said, the Coast Guard asked the vessel to leave the sailing route or face arrest. Benson also challenged the notion that the ship's messages qualify as partisan statements.
"We don’t feel like advocating for clean water is a politically charged message," Benson said. "People on all sides of the aisle, and no sides at all, have been fighting in the United States for clean water in different ways." Her remarks underscore a difference in interpretation between event enforcement officials and the environmental organization over what constitutes political messaging.
Sail4th 250 was one of several events organized by Freedom 250, a group established by the Trump administration to plan celebrations for the nation's 250th anniversary. More than 40 tall ships representing 20 foreign countries took part in the parade, sailing from near Sandy Hook, New Jersey, up through New York Harbor toward the George Washington Bridge.
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's stated mission on its website is to "protect the Hudson River by stewarding an intergenerational community of river advocates through education, advocacy, sailing, and music." The group's activities combine public outreach and advocacy, the latter of which is central to the disagreement that led to the vessel's removal from the parade of sail.
Summary of facts: The Coast Guard removed the Clearwater vessel from the Sail4th 250 parade citing banners deemed politically charged; the Clearwater organization disputes whether it was asked to remove banners or to leave the route and maintains advocacy for clean water is not partisan.