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Beastie Boy Ad-Rock joins anti-swastika rally at Adam Yauch Park


A member of the Beastie Boys urged New Yorkers to “Get It Together” Sunday and oppose President-elect Donald Trump during a packed rally at a Brooklyn playground vandalized by swastikas.

Adam Horovitz, better known as Ad-Rock, spoke at Adam Yauch Park, which was re-named in his honor following Yauch’s death in 2012.

The playground was defaced Friday with two swastikas and the words “Go Trump!”


(Amy Lazarides)

Horovitz said the Brooklyn Heights park had special significance to many of the 2,000 people at the rally because of the connection to the beloved hip hop group, but said the vandalism went far beyond music.

More than 700 ‘hateful’ attacks reported since Trump’s election

“This is more about someone in our community linking Nazi Germany to Donald Trump in a ‘hell yeah’ kind of way in a park where children play,” Horovitz said.

The swastikas, spray-painted on playground equipment, had been painted over. Paper cut-outs of hearts and a pile of flowers had replaced the racist symbols of hate.

He then launched into a long list of racist, Trump-related vandalism and other incidents around the country since his stunning victory on Election Day.

Among the many examples: a woman eating at a restaurant in nearby Boerum Hill was punched in the face last week by a Trump supporter angry at her dismay about the election.

NYC leaders urge Donald Trump to speak out against hate crimes

“Keep your eyes open, stand up for each other. This is homegrown terrorism for real,” Horovitz said. “I reject Donald Trump’s vision for America. New York City, I’m asking you to do the same.”


(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez vowed to aggressively prosecute all hate crimes.

“We will not stand for bigotry in our backyard,” he said.

Imam Khalid Latif, the director of the NYU Islamic Center, said a swastika symbolizes “the worst of humanity.”

“For us as New Yorkers, if you see something say something has to mean something different today. If you see hatred, say something. If you see racism, say something. If you see bigotry, say something,” Latif said. “In our city, we have to set an example for the rest of the country.”

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