Protestors took to the streets of Manhattan Sunday to call for President-elect Donald Trump to fire Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
This is the second week of continuing protests that have filled city streets since Donald Trump was elected president Nov. 8.
Sunday’s rally targeted Bannon, who was expected to appear at the Zionist Organization of America’s gala at the Grand Hyatt.
Angry crowds gathered in front of the Midtown hotel chanting. “Fire Bannon!” and shouting, “he’s a racist!”
Bannon’s scheduled trip to New York City comes at a time when the NYPD has reported an uptick in hate crimes and bias attacks around the city. Last Friday, swastikas and the words “Go Trump” were discovered in graffiti on a jungle gym in Brooklyn Heights. And on Nov. 12, swastikas were found scrawled on four dorm room doors at the New School.
In response to the recent hike in hate crimes, Governor Cuomo revealed a new statewide anti-hate crime force on Sunday.
“We will never allow fear and intolerance to tear at the fabric of who we are.” The governor said in a statement.
Trump’s decision to pick Bannon as the nation’s chief strategist has faced backlash and strict criticism from political figures and protestors. Many have claimed Bannon’s ties to Briebart News and white nationalism pose a threat to America’s constitutions and its freedoms.
“That guy is a racist and a sexist,” said one protester, who didn’t want to give his name. “He doesn’t hide what he is. Just read Briebart news.”
