Sundance has spoken out after the racially-motivated assault on Rep. Maxwell Frost during a CAA party at the Park City, Utah film festival.
After the Florida Democrat identified himself as the victim of Friday’s attack, in which a man was arrested following incident in a restroom at at High West Saloon, the 45-year festival condemned the act of violence in a statement.
“We strongly condemn last night’s assault and abhor any form of violence, harassment, and hate speech,” festival officials said. “While the incident occurred at a non-Festival-affiliated event, such behavior is intolerable and against our values of upholding a welcoming and inspiring environment for all our attendees.”
The statement continues, “The safety and security of our festival attendees is always our chief concern, and our thoughts are with Congressman Frost and his continued well-being. We encourage anyone with additional information on this matter to contact the Park City Police Department.”
A caucasian man, the person arrested, was said to have shocked those in his vicinity with remarks about his pride in being white. Subsequently, he was said to have punched a person of color in the face, which Frost later revealed to be himself.
“Last night, I was assaulted by a man at Sundance Festival who told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face. He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off,” Frost wrote on X. “The individual was arrested and I am okay. Thank you to the venue security and Park City PD for assistance on this incident.”
