The US Coast Guard said yesterday (Saturday) that it removed a boat that was participating in a sailboat parade celebrating Independence Day in New York Harbor for displaying what it described as 'messages of a political nature.'

The US Coast Guard reported that a boat belonging to the environmental organization Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was forced to leave the 'Sail Forth 250' parade in New York Harbor. The boat displayed signs that read 'Save the Clean Water Act,' 'Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, and Climate Solutions,' according to Reuters news agency.

According to the Coast Guard, participants in the event agreed to refrain from displaying political messages or statements of a political nature, adding that it enforced what was agreed upon on behalf of the organizers of the 'Sail Forth' event. The Coast Guard stated: 'The owner of the Clearwater sailboat 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 Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, disputed this account. She said the Coast Guard did not ask for the signs to be removed, but rather ordered the boat to leave the sailing route or risk arrest for its crew. Benson said: 'We do not consider the call for clean water to be a political message... People of various political affiliations, and even with no political affiliation, are fighting in different ways in the United States for clean water.'

'Sail Forth 250' was one of the events organized by the 'Freedom 250' group, created by the administration of US President Donald Trump to plan celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. More than 40 large sailing vessels from 20 countries participated in the event, sailing through New York Harbor from 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 defenders through education, advocacy, sailing, and music.'