Russell Simmons and animal rights’ activists have been trying to get New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to follow through on his promised ban of horse-drawn carriages.
Thursday, Simmons took his campaign to the next level.
The hip-hop mogul compared the plight of the city’s carriage horses to slavery and the Holocaust.
“It’s a Holocaust,” he said as he stood in front of one of the antique-style cars that he has been advocating as replacements for the horse and buggy system, reports the Wall Street Journal.
“There were people for slavery, remember? Slavery was fine,” he continued. “There were people who put people in ovens. There are all kinds of ethnic cleansing, people for it.”
He then called out the mayor specifically, noting that he had been a longtime supporter but felt that his support was being betrayed over this issue.
“The horses matter,” he said. “The promises you made matter. You got in office because we put you there. We put you in and we can take you out.”
When reached for comment, de Blasio told the Wall Street Journal he was “not worried” about Simmons’ comments and restated his position that he was “very clear about the mission” when it came to banning the horse carriages.
“I’m going to continue to do that work,” he continued.
