6.25.2012, 12:25 PMPlane towing swastika banner flies over Manhattan, Jersey Shore 
A religious cult marred a picture perfect afternoon on Saturday by flying a plane with a swastika banner over parts of Manhattan and the Jersey Shore.
The International Raelian Movement said the stunt was part of "World Swastika Rehabilitation Day," an effort to restore the Nazi icon's status as "a symbol of peace and good luck."
"Our objective in this annual "Swastika Rehabilitation Day" is to… rehabilitate the image of this very ancient symbol which has, in recent decades, been equated only with Hitler's horrors, when in fact, the swastika has always meant something very beautiful, peaceful and loving for billions of people all over the world and still is by billions of people," Ricky Roehr, a spokesman for the North American Raelian Movement, wrote in a statement on the group's website.
Raelians believe a group of scientists from another planet, known as "Elohim," created life on Earth thousands of years ago.
The banner promoted a website for the group, proswastika.org, and featured a swastika and the group's symbol, a swastika inside of a Star of David.
New Yorkers and Jersey Shore sun worshipers tweeted their disgust.
"At the beach today in NYC when a plane passes with a banner with a star of David and a SWASTIKA!!! I couldn't believe it, Lord help us!" one woman wrote.
pcaulfield@nydailynews.com
Author:Philip Caulfield