‘Taken 3’ star Liam Neeson slams Bill de Blasio for horse drawn carriage ban
Liam Neeson may be battling bad guys on screen, but is taking on the New York mayor in real life. The Irish actor expressed frustration that carriage drivers are to lose their jobs under de Blasio’s plan. He said New Yorkers and people around the globe support the carriage industry.
In an impassioned defense of the imperiled horse-carriage drivers, actor Liam Neeson on Tuesday night called it “unconscionable” to deprive them of their livelihood.
Liam Neeson, pictured here in “Taken 3” is now taking aim at the New York mayor
“The Central Park carriage drivers woke up Monday morning to learn that the mayor decided to take away their jobs and make them cabdrivers without ever consulting with them or so much as step into a stable,” the actor said in a statement.
He said Mayor de Blasio “certainly has his hands full” and “is tackling sensitive and delicate issues with leadership.”
De Blasio has introduced a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages by May of 2016, making good on a key campaign promise. The proposed bill comes as an early Christmas present with a phase-out of the carriage horses (licenses to operate the carriages are set to expire May 2016 and would not be renewed and a retraining and job opportunities for the carriage drivers.
Joining 300 drivers of the Central Park horse carriages, Neeson said the mayor is dead wrong to proceed with legislation to ban the carriages and offer drivers the chance to drive green cabs.
“Deciding to strip these hardworking New Yorkers of their livelihoods in the dark of night is unconscionable, undermining their stability and future,” he said.
New York’s “historic and beloved horse-carriage industry — overwhelmingly supported by New Yorkers and tourists alike — should be celebrated, not destroyed,” Neeson added.
Neeson will be returning as Brian Mills in next year’s Taken 3.
