Nasty left hook
Vandalism at UES GOP club
An Upper East Side Republican club was vandalized overnight — with a brick thrown through its window, two anarchy symbols scrawled on its front door and the locks glued, authorities said Friday.
The attack at the Metropolitan Republican Club on East 83rd Street near Lexington Avenue appeared to be at least partly tied to the scheduled appearance of right-wing provocateur Gavin McInnes at the club Friday night.
McInnes, a co-founder of Vice Media, heads a right-wing group called the Proud Boys, which has been characterized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
A note found at the club after the vandalism attack read in part, “The Metropolitan Republican Club chose to invite a hipsterfascist clown to dance for them, content to revel in their treachery against humanity.”
But the note also ripped the party in general, and Democrats as well.
“Tonight, we put the Republican Party on notice, in defiance to the policy of mass misery they have championed,” it read. “The Republican Party, joined by their spineless partners-in-crime, The Democrats, institute a policy of domestic and foreign terror felt the world over. Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize.”
Metropolitan Republican Club released a statement that blamed the “leftist hate group Antifa” for the damage.
“Republicans are a minority party in NYC by a wide margin, and while most city residents are respectful of our activities, our grassroots actions are often met with hostility. Last night’s shameful attack by Antifa cowards represents a tragic new low,” the statement read.
“But rest assured that we will not be intimidated by violence, threats, or hate speech.”
Marc Molinaro, the GOP candidate for governor, said in a statement, “This type of political violence and rank vandalism is unacceptable, and I call on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to condemn this attack immediately and call for calm on the political left.”