Vox Pop Statue Wrecked in Mock Terror Tape
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Well, this just got really bizarre — though it’s pretty unclear to me exactly what’s going on here:
A replica Statue of Liberty swiped from a Brooklyn coffee shop has turned up in a shocking YouTube video that shows it blindfolded, beheaded and then smashed to pieces.The slogans “We don’t want your freedom” and “Death to America” float across the screen in the chilling clip – reminiscent of real terrorist videos.
The NYPD’s computer sleuths are investigating who posted the video. They could call in the FBI if they feel it’s more than a sick joke, sources told the Daily News on Wednesday.
The manager of Ditmas Park’s Vox Pop – known as much for lefty politics as java – said she couldn’t sleep after watching the footage.
“I’m scared. I’m hoping I don’t have to fear for my life but I feel very nervous,” Debi Ryan said.
“This was clearly politically motivated. Whoever did this is trying to shut us up. They were targeting what we represent.”
The 8-foot fiberglass figure vanished June 21 from the sidewalk in front of the Cortelyou Road coffeehouse. A $250 reward and “Find Liberty” rally failed to spark its return.
The YouTube clip, dated July 4, was sent anonymously to the Daily News on Tuesday and to Ryan the next day.
“Liberty is the holy masquerade of the decapitated, so we decapitated it in the struggle for a truly free unity,” the vandal wrote in the email.
The minute-long clip, titled “Liberty Vox Pop Death,” opens with the American flag followed by a scene of Lady Liberty blindfolded.
A gloved hand is shown sawing off the head off and bashing the head with a baseball bat. The screen flashes the message: “We don’t want your freedom.”
The video ends with a black-clad faceless vandal grabbing the smashed head by the crown and holding it up to the camera before the message, “Death to America.”
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