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Bridgeport Mayor Receives Threats For Speaking On Climate Change On MSNBC

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Bridgeport police are investigating threats made against Mayor Bill Finch after he appeared on "Politics Nation," an MSNBC show with Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday night, a Bridgeport spokesman said Wednesday.

Mayor Bill Finch appeared on MSNBC's "Politics Nation" with the Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday night, to speak about the snow emergency in Bridgeport on Monday, Jan. 26.

Mayor Bill Finch appeared on MSNBC's "Politics Nation" with the Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday night, to speak about the snow emergency in Bridgeport on Monday, Jan. 26.

Photo Credit: Screen Capture Taken From MSNBC

Police told Bridgeport Director of Communications Brett Broedser that they were investigating one of many threats made against Finch after he complimented Sharpton on being "a leader on climate change" and saying "we need more of you down in Washington."

"One of the many reasons Mayor Finch is so fond of the Rev. Al Sharpton is because of his national leadership on climate change issues." Broedser told the Daily Voice through email.

"Mayor Finch is a fellow national leader on climate change, serving as the co-chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Task Force. So after giving an update on the adverse weather conditions in Bridgeport, before leaving the show, Mayor Finch thanked the Rev. Al Sharpton for his leadership on climate change. It’s a respectful thing to do," Broedser said.

Although Broedser said they would not comment on cases that are currently under police investigation, he did say that the threats the mayor and his family received were both racially driven and from climate change opponents.

"There is a combination of climate change and racial accusations within many of the threats: some are strictly racial, others are strictly climate change related," he said.

The threats came from across the nation and were not only from the greater Bridgeport area, News 12 Connecticut reported.

Finch declared a snow emergency for the city of Bridgeport as of 7 a.m. Monday. Jan. 26, which was the main focus of Sharpton's interview on Tuesday night.

Bridgeport police were not immediately available for comment.

"We’re working diligently in getting to the bottom of this," Broedser said. "And find it to be an incredibly unfortunate situation."

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