New York City

Russell Simmons: NYC’s horse carriages like Holocaust

July 17, 2015 Associated Press
In this file photo, horse-drawn carriages take riders around Central Park. Hip-hop mogul and animal-rights advocate Russell Simmons spoke Thursday at an event organized by horse carriage opponents and urged New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to follow through on his campaign promise to ban the horse carriages. AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File
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Hip-hop mogul and animal-rights advocate Russell Simmons is comparing New York’s horse-drawn carriages to slavery and the Holocaust.

Simmons spoke Thursday at an event organized by horse carriage opponents.

The Wall Street Journal reports that he likened horse carriages to slavery, ethnic cleansing and “people who put people in ovens.”

Simmons urged New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to follow through on his campaign promise to ban the horse carriages.

De Blasio said Simmons’ remarks didn’t bother him.

The mayor said he feels “very clear about the mission” to ban horse carriages. He said some initiatives take longer to accomplish than others.

Asked about Simmons’ remarks about slavery and the Holocaust, a mayoral spokeswoman said, “We respectfully disagree with Mr. Simmons’s characterizations of all of the above.”

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