After receiving several complaints from the public in April about a taxi driver brandishing a Nazi swastika armband while on duty, ADL immediately contacted the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), expressing grave concern and urging them to investigate.
After an investigation and charges were brought against the driver, the driver pleaded guilty to violating commission rules and his operator’s license was suspended for 30 days, prompting ADL’s statement:
We applaud the TLC’s swift investigation and successful prosecution of this outrageous and inflammatory gesture by a taxicab driver. By openly displaying this hate symbol identified with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party while operating a New York City taxicab, the driver sent a frightening and offensive message to New Yorkers about who might be welcome – and unwelcome – in the taxicab he was driving.
In disciplining the driver, the TLC sends a powerful message that such a vehement demonstration of hate is unacceptable, and that there are consequences for those who seek to intimidate others.
Read the full Press Release here
Media coverage:
A large number of national media sources covered this story, many featuring statements released by ADL. The story also made the front pages of both the New York Post and the New York Daily News.
Some notable interviews/articles can be found here:
New York Post: Swastika wearing taxi driver suspended
NY Daily News: NYC cabbie suspended for sporting Nazi armband on duty
The Algemeiner: New York Cabbie Suspended for 30 Days After Brandishing Nazi Armband
Fox NY: Cab driver suspended for Nazi swastika armband
