Senator Sanders Condemns GOP for Hosting Proud Boys at NYC Headquarters Sparking Violence

New York State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) said:

"I am disgusted by the recent outbreak of violence, which occurred on Friday near the GOP’s headquarters in New York City known as the Metropolitan Republican Club. It happened following an event, where the guest speaker was the leader of the Proud Boys, a violent, alt-right, pro-Trump group known for its racist, homophobic and misogynist behavior.
 
While the First Amendment right to free speech allows unsavory groups like the Proud Boys to spread their propaganda, the GOP did not have to give them a platform to convey their message. It was an extremely poor decision on their part, if the Republicans want to paint themselves as a mainstream organization that represents all people. However, some say the strategy of the GOP is to use dog whistles and racist fear-mongering to bring out their vote. If that’s the case, it would explain why the Proud Boys were invited to spew their venom.
 
Members of the Proud Boys were caught on video assaulting anti-fascist protesters after the event. At one point a dozen of them were kicking a man and shouting anti-gay slurs at him while he was curled up in a fetal position on the floor. The leader of the Proud Boys, who was reportedly present during the incident, seemed to justify the violence by stating that anti-fascists had created a “climate of fear” by vandalizing a GOP clubhouse.
 
I don’t condone the alleged vandalism, but any time a racist Klan-like group such as the Proud Boys is unleashed on a community, it’s going to illicit a very strong reaction. ‘
 
The Proud Boys have no place in America. They do not convey the values of most of the people in this country. They are the minority, not the majority and the GOP shouldn’t be giving them a megaphone for their hate speech."