A Southern California-based, pro-weed, anti-government activist who goes by the name Reverend Bud Green has claimed responsibility for replacing two American flags on the Brooklyn Bridge with two bleached white last week.

In a statement on his website and in an interview with the Daily News, Green explained that anonymous “professionals” in New York executed the action. He claims that they had reached out to him online to voice their support for his POT (People Opposing Tyranny) Party.

Green notes that the scheme’s next step involved swapping the white flags with two more — one with “Don’t Tread On Me” over a weed leaf and another with “a logo of corporate media conglomerate GE and a Nazi Swastika with a background of bombs and guns.” This second step was thwarted by “the fascist police” and their increased surveillance. Green advocates a “non violent Revolution” against the “the military industrial complex and the evil one percent.” Here is his statement in its entirety:

Hello my fellow herb worshippers and revolutionaries. I can finally reveal that it was members of the New Pot Party that put up the bleached White Flags in NY that the whole country is talking about. The Flags symbolize the need for the new Pledge of No Allegiance that the Rev. Bud Green and the Pot Party revealed to the Public on the Fourth of July. On the night of July 22, brave members of the Pot Party and supporters of my candidacy for Prez in 2016 courageously climbed up and put up the new bleached flags. The original plan was then to replace the bleached flags with 2 new flags but the fascist police prevented us from doing it with their constant surveillance. The 2 new flags were gonna be the Pot Party flag which is a marijuana leaf with the revolutionary slogan Don’t Tread on Me to symbolize the beginning of a new American Revolution to be led by Pot Party Supporters. The other flag was to represent what the good old USA has become now that we are fully under the control of the Republicratic party and the united corporations of America. This flag was to be a logo of corporate media conglomerate GE and a Nazi Swastika with a background of bombs and guns. This unfortunately is what Amerikkka has become and is exactly why we need civil disobedience and non violent Revolution to truly change this country. Please smoke the Peace Pipe with the holy herb and rebel against the military industrial complex and the evil one percent. That is the meaning of why we put up the bleached American Flags. Remember to recite the new Pledge of No Allegiance. Please repeat after me, I Pledge no Allegiance to the United Corporations of America, and to the right wing dictatorship for which it stands, one nation, under the devil, with liberty and justice for only the rich pigs who can afford it. Put that it in your pipe and smoke it Fox News.

Green didn’t offer any actual proof to his claims of responsibility, but he did tell the Daily News that he found the reactions to the stunt very amusing.

It was interesting that nobody knew what to make of it. It was interesting that people took it as a terror risk. We believe in nonviolent civil disobedience. The government has everybody scared s——s. Was Martin Luther King Jr. a terrorist? Was Abbie Hoffman a terrorist? The government is trying to silence people.

Perhaps it’s time to move on? Meanwhile, enjoy this vintage clip of Rev. Bud Green lighting up on the Joan Rivers Show.

(Photo: @NewsBell, Rev. Bud Green)