Democratic New York state Sens. Rachel May and Robert Jackson apologized for smiling and holding a banner that compared the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to climate change at a rally at the state’s capitol Tuesday, saying they “did not see the content of the sign.”
Pictures of the senators standing behind the banner spread across social media, with many blasting their ignorance.
“This is sick,” Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is running for New York governor, wrote on Twitter. “NYS Sens Robert Jackson & Rachel May are comparing climate change to 9/11 to woo support for their far-left Green New Deal agenda. There’s NO comparison.”
Video footage of Jackson pointing to and reading the banner also surfaced.
Both Democratic state Senators Robert Jackson and Rachel May have apologized and said they did not see the content on the climate change-9/11 banner, but a video provided by a source shows @SenatorRJackson pointing at the sign and referring to the words displayed: https://t.co/5QNXxaXg6L pic.twitter.com/QteTMLbVE6
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) March 8, 2022
Both May and Jackson have apologized, saying they did not see the content or details of its imagery.
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“The imagery on the banner is unacceptable and I would never endorse such a cynical use of our state’s history to score cheap points,” May tweeted. “I apologize sincerely to all New Yorkers and call upon the organizers to similarly condemn this message.”
I attended the rally today to support a significant investment in climate change in the state budget. I posed for numerous photos with activists, and did not see the content of the sign.
— Dr. Rachel May (@SRachelMay) March 8, 2022
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Jackson also apologized on Twitter, noting that “climate justice is not a political agenda and 9/11 can never be used for political points.”
As a NYC native who continues to be personally impacted by the events of that horrific day, I sincerely apologize to anyone who might be confused by any political ploy to mischaracterize my actions. 3/5
— Robert Jackson (@SenatorRJackson) March 8, 2022
“As a NYC native who continues to be personally impacted by the events of that horrific day,” Jackson said. “I sincerely apologize to anyone who might be confused by any political ploy to mischaracterize my actions.”
