The US Coast Guard said Saturday that it pulled a boat that was participating in a parade of sailboats celebrating Independence Day in New York Harbor, for displaying what it described as 'politically charged messages.'

The US Coast Guard reported that a boat affiliated with the environmental organization 'Hudson River Sloop Clearwater' was forced to leave the 'Sail Forth 250' parade in New York Harbor. The boat raised signs reading 'Save the Clean Water Act,' 'Indigenous rights, racial justice, and climate solutions,' according to Reuters.

According to the Coast Guard, participants in the event agreed to refrain from displaying political or politically charged messages or statements, adding that it enforced the agreement on behalf of the organizers of the 'Sail Forth' event. The Coast Guard stated: 'The owner of the Clearwater sloop was contacted and asked to remove the displayed message or leave the sailing parade... but he refused to remove the message.'

For her part, Jane Benson, director of outreach and communications for the 'Hudson River Sloop Clearwater' organization, disputed this account. She said that the Coast Guard did not ask to remove the signs, but asked the boat to leave the sailing route or else its crew would face the risk of arrest. Benson said: 'We do not consider the call for clean water to be a politically charged message... People of different political orientations, and even those without any political affiliation, struggle in the United States in various ways for clean water.'

'Sail Forth 250' was one of the events organized by the 'Freedom 250' group, established by the administration of US President Donald Trump to plan celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The event featured more than 40 large sailboats from 20 countries, sailing through New York Harbor from an area near Sandy Hook in New Jersey to the George Washington Bridge. According to the website of the environmental organization 'Hudson River Sloop Clearwater,' its mission is 'to protect the Hudson River by fostering a multi-generational community of river advocates through education, outreach, sailing, and music.'