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Marjorie Taylor Greene has blamed so-called “commie” Democrats for the arrest of a surfer over a $12 per day beach badge.
Liam Mahoney, 28, from Junction City, California, was arrested during a trip to a beach near Belmar’s 19th Avenue Beach in New Jersey last Tuesday.
Mahoney had been confronted by an officer who asked to see his beach badge – which allows access to the shore and its waters for $12 per day, according to the Belmar’s tourism website.
Video of the incident went viral with Mahoney seen being thrown to the ground and placed in a chokehold after he resisted arrest.
The Georgia representative took to X to vent her fury over the incident, reposting the bodycam footage along with a lengthy tirade blaming Democrats for what had happened.
“This surfer was arrested in Belmar Beach, NJ for NOT HAVING A ‘BEACH BADGE’ meanwhile American taxpayers are PAYING TO HOUSE, FEED, PROVIDE HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS!!” she wrote on X on Sunday.
“Beach badge??? What commie idiot made that law? Answer: Democrats.”
In a separate post, Greene also said that “this is not the police’s fault”.
“The IDIOTIC policy of charging $12 per day to go on the beach is ABSURD,” she continued.
“Illegals storm our beaches in CA and FLA and get free cellphones, bus & airplane tickets, debit cards, and FREE housing. BUT Americans get arrested for no beach badge”.
Taylor Greene, a staunch Donald Trump supporter who is well-known for peddling conspiracy theories, once again seems to been sharing unsubstantiated claims.
While Democrat Gerald Buccafusco has been the Belmar mayor since 2022, charging admission has occurred at beaches across the northern parts of the Jersey Shore since 1937.
In May 2019, Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy actually signed legislation protecting the public trust doctrine: a law that states that the public has some right to access coastal areas for “navigation, commerce, and recreation”.
Mahoney was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice over the Belmar beach incident.
A two-minute video of the incident was first posted to a witness’s Facebook page last week and went viral.
Belmar Police Department then released six minutes of bodycam footage of the incident on Thursday on its own Facebook page.
In the video, Mahoney is heard disagreeing with the officers about the need for a beach badge.
“You’re allowed to access the water to surf or to fish,” Mahoney tells the officer. “You don’t need a beach badge for that.”
As Mahoney attempts to walk away, the police officer says: “You’re not free to go.”
The officer is then seen trying to detain and arrest Mahoney, who refuses to put his hands behind his back to be handcuffed.
Mahoney’s surfboard is later pulled from his arms, before he is tossed to the sand and put into a headlock.
A witness is heard shouting “let him go!” and “stop f***ing choking him!”
Police have since said that Mahoney was not arrested for failing to carry a beach badge, but for his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement.
“To be clear, Mr. Mahoney was not arrested for not having a beach badge. He was arrested because he obstructed the officer’s investigation by refusing to give his identification or pedigree information,” Police Chief Scott said in the statement.
“Mr. Mahoney was also advised he was not free to leave and continued to walk away during this encounter.”
Scott said there are often misconceptions about what the law is with regard to beach access.
“All municipalities bordering on the Atlantic Ocean have the right to charge reasonable fees for the purpose of maintaining the beach and bathing areas and for providing facilities and safeguards for people using such areas,” she said.
