“Yes, we held a holiday party. A good time was had by all. We abided by all precautions. But we are not the mask police, nor are we the social distancing police,” the Whitestone Republican Club wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday night.
“Adults have the absolute right to make their own decisions, and clearly many chose to interact like normal humans and not paranoid zombies in hazmat suits. This is for some reason controversial to the people who believe it’s their job to tell us all what to do,” the post said.
The group justified its holiday party, held at a Queens restaurant, by saying that “we ALL have the inalienable right under the First Amendment to peaceably assemble” and urged New Yorkers to enjoy the holidays “regardless of political affiliation.”
“Make your own calculated decisions, don’t give in to fear or blindly obey the media and politicians, and respect the decisions of others,” the post said.
The response comes shortly after the club faced harsh criticism after a video of the holiday party was posted on social media, showing members engaging in a conga line.
“The Whitestone Republican Club in NYC apparently held a Christmas party this year without a care in the world about COVID,” journalist Matt Binder wrote as the caption to the video, which shows many partygoers not wearing masks.
The video featured Vickie Paladino, a Council District 19 candidate in Queens, participating in the conga line, according to the Queens Daily Eagle.
Following the video’s posting, both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo responded to the event.
“COVID conga lines are not smart,” Cuomo tweeted.
During a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Cuomo reiterated the comments he made in the tweet. “That’s my official position. Why you would do an unmasked conga line in the middle of a COVID pandemic—whatever your political persuasion—defies logical explanation as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Speaking with NY1’s Inside City Hall, de Blasio said, “Anyone who violates the state rules we are going to deal with. We have been giving out really serious fines to people who organize events or host events, so I am certain the sheriff and other city agencies are going to follow up.”
The video shows the partygoers indoors, which is a violation of New York City’s coronavirus restrictions. But Whitestone Republican Club spokesperson Robert Hornak told the Eagle that the event didn’t violate any restrictions because it was held before the state shut down indoor dining.
“We held an intimate gathering observing all the COVID guidelines in place at the time,” Hornak said. “Every attendee was told to wear a mask, and everyone had one when entering, or was given one.”
According to the Eagle, the holiday party was held at the Il Bacco Ristorante in Little Neck. Speaking to the Eagle, the restaurant’s owner, Tina Marie Oppedisano, made comments similar to those from Hornak.
“That party was absolutely not in violation. We did exactly as we were told,” Oppedisano said.
Newsweek reached out to the Whitestone Republican Club for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
