Jewish leaders say their high precedence in New York subsequent 12 months will probably be to push Albany to cross a legislation to forestall most mask-wearing in public to thwart hate-spewing bigots and different criminals.
“There’s not a First Modification proper to harass folks and commit severe crimes,’’ mentioned state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), who’s co-sponsoring a invoice calling for such a masks ban.
“We are going to make it illegal to cover one’s identification to harass, occupy and menace folks with impunity,” mentioned Dinowitz, saying such a measure is overdue, given the extent of hatred, vandalism and intimidation waged in opposition to Jews after the Oct. 7, 2023, terror assault on Israel.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, informed The Publish, “It’s our high precedence within the legislative session in Albany.
“I’m optimistic it would cross, but it surely’s going to take work,’’ he mentioned. “It’s going to take work to ensure legislators perceive, on either side of the aisle, that there’s nothing political about prejudice.”
Greenblatt, talking at a Publish editorial-board assembly, mentioned civil libertarians such because the New York Civil Liberties Union have claimed such a ban would stifle the free speech of protesters and dissenters, together with opponents of Israel.
However at the least some mask-wearing protesters and vandals are emboldened to propagate hate as a result of their identities are cloaked, supporters of the invoice say.
“There’s freedom of expression. However intimidating folks due to their ethnic or non secular or some other sort of identification is unsuitable,’’ Greenblatt mentioned.
The proposed invoice would exempt people who must put on masks for well being or for his or her non secular religion or security on the job.
Penalties for individuals who flout the measure and deliberately put on masks throughout hate-filled protests, acts of vandalism and different crimes would vary from a violation to aggravated harassment, a Class A misdemeanor that might lead to one 12 months imprisonment, Dinowitz mentioned.
Lengthy Island’s Republican-run Nassau County accredited such a ban in August, and the measure has been upheld in court docket, at the least up to now.
The ADL is a part of the #UnmaskHateNY coalition, which is backing the marketing campaign to outlaw “masked intimidation with intent” to harass and terrorize Jews, blacks and different Individuals.
The NAACP and Nationwide City League are among the many civil-rights teams which might be a part of the coalition.
Such bans on hood- and mask-wearing helped expose Klu Klux Klan members who terrorized blacks within the South, supporters famous.
However such face-covering restrictions have been repealed, together with in New York, in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, when face coverings have been thought of important in curbing the unfold of the lethal illness within the peak of the outbreak.
Now, escalating antisemitism in New York has reached a breaking level — with some evaluating the town to the Thirties and the rise of Nazism, Jewish leaders informed The Publish.
For instance, hateful vandals splattered purple paint on the house of the Brooklyn Museum director and Jewish board members, and at the least two properties have been additionally scribbled with a purple triangle image that Palestinian Hamas terrorists use to indicate targets marked for loss of life.
Many different antisemitic crimes have been dedicated by masked vandals or harassers touring in teams spreading their hate-filled terror, together with within the subway and even Ivy League campuses resembling Columbia College in Manhattan.
“There isn’t any constitutional proper to deliberately conceal your identification whereas conducting a Jew-hunt inside a New York Metropolis subway, destroying school property whereas chanting, ‘Demise to Jews!’ or vandalizing the house of a Jewish museum director with antisemitic graffiti solely due to her identification,’’ mentioned Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Neighborhood Relations Council of New York.
“These chilling actions hearken again to the intent behind the passage of anti-mask legal guidelines on the flip of the twentieth century, which was to supply legislation enforcement the instruments they should maintain hate teams such because the KKK accountable.”
In October, the ADL issued a stunning report revealing the variety of antisemitic assaults within the US soared 200%, to greater than 10,000 incidents, this previous 12 months — probably the most ever recorded by the group monitoring Jew hatred and largely fueled by an enormous soar on school campuses.
“This laws is overdue at this level and is required ASAP. It’s a really excessive precedence, mentioned Dinowitz, a detailed ally of Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie, a fellow Bronx Democrat.
Hudson Valley Sen. James Skoufis (D-Cornwall), who’s vying to turn out to be the subsequent Democratic Nationwide Committee chairman, is pushing the invoice within the higher chamber.
“As we craft this necessary invoice, I’m grateful to have the partnership and assist of the giants of New York’s civil rights and religion communities,’’ Skoufis mentioned in an announcement.
“It’s important that there’s broad buy-in for this public security measure to make sure we don’t go one other 12 months throughout which persons are attacked by people who cowl their faces to evade accountability.”
Hochul’s workplace, requested concerning the push, referred The Publish to the governor’s feedback in June, when she expressed assist for a masks ban, as has state Legal professional Common Letitia James.
“Individuals have a proper to be secure on our public transportation, strolling down the streets of their locations of worship,” the governor mentioned on the time.
“And nobody ought to be capable of cover underneath the duvet of just about a full-face masks to commit these atrocities in opposition to fellow New Yorkers. That’s the place we’ve got to attract the road.”
A spokesman for #UnMaskHateNY, a coalition led by civil-rights and religion leaders supporting a reinstatement of New York’s masks ban, mentioned in an announcement, “In 2024, the security state of affairs on campuses, streets and subways deteriorated to some extent the place masked people harassing New Yorkers grew to become an on a regular basis incidence.
“We’d like accountability and reduction.”
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