New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is applauding his daughter, Chiara de Blasio, following her arrest during the protests over George Floyd’s death.
During his press briefing on Monday, he was asked about his daughter who was rumored to have been arrested over the weekend alongside other demonstrators at the protest in Manhattan.
Confirming her arrest, de Blasio admitted he was proud of his daughter’s decision to stand for what she believes in.
“I love my daughter deeply, I honor her,” de Blasio said. “She is such a good human being, she only wants to do good in the world she wants to see a better and a more peaceful world. She believes a lot of change is needed.”
He added, “I’m proud of her that she cares so much and she was willing to go out there and do something about it.”
See de Blasio’s remarks below:
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio confirms reports that his daughter, Chiara de Blasio, was arrested at a protest: "I'm proud of her that she cares so much, and she was willing to go out there and do something about it." https://t.co/YbloXtjoxj pic.twitter.com/bBCBLjn1q5
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 1, 2020
Although he and his wife, Chirlane McCray, were aware of some of her views, they were not unaware of the 25-year-old’s “intention to get arrested.”
During a discussion with her father, she recalled the series of events that led to her arrest, which de Blasio insists was “in the spirit of a peaceful, respectful protest.”
“She recounted the story in detail to me. She was acting peacefully. She believes that everything she did was in the spirit of peaceful respectful protest,” the mayor said.
He added, “And the bottom line is, I will let her speak for herself in any way that she wants to, but I admire that she was out there trying to change something that she thought was unjust and doing it in a peaceful manner.”
The mayor’s remarks come just two days after his daughter’s arrest. On Saturday, Chiara de Blasio was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and later released.