Posted on 01/14/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Three-quarters of New Yorkers support banning masks in public as activists frequently wear masks at hateful anti-Israel protests, the New York Post reported, citing a recent survey.
The survey, which was conducted by the Mercury Public Affairs organization for the civil rights coalition #UnMaskHateNY, found that 75% of New Yorkers support a mask ban. In addition, 68% of respondents said that the value of free expression must be balanced with public safety.
74% of Jewish respondents said that discrimination and harassment based on bigotry is worse than before the October 7 massacre, compared to 60% of all respondents. 76% of Jewish respondents said that they feel less safe now, compared to 50% of all respondents.
In June, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called for a ban on wearing masks at political rallies following a series of antisemitic incidents.
During numerous anti-Israel rallies, activists wearing masks or other face coverings have broken the law, called for violence, and committed acts of vandalism and violence. The wearing of masks by perpetrators of violence and other illegal acts has made identifying them more difficult for the police.
In one incident, a group of people covering their faces took over a subway car in New York and demanded that any "Zionists" on board raise their hands, saying that it was their "chance to get out."
The Jewish leaders called for the revival of laws barring face coverings such as those previously used against the Ku Klux Klan.
ADL regional director Scott Richman told the New York Post that a new law barring the wearing of masks would "make a difference" in the face of the rise in antisemitic incidents. According to Richman, such laws “effectively tanked the Ku Klux Klan. Nobody wanted their face to be seen."
New York used to have such a law, but it was repealed in 2020 due to the government's encouragement of mask-wearing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Other Jewish leaders compared the current climate to Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Former president of the Queens Jewish Community Council Michael Nussbaum said, “You let people spray paint the homes of residents because they sit on the board of the Brooklyn Museum. What does it lead to? This is what the Nazis did in the 1930s."
Jewish Community Relations Council head Mark Treyger called the acts committed by anti-Israel activists the "Nazi playbook come to life in 2024."
“There is a concerted effort underway to disassociate Jews and Jewish identity from schools, curriculum, universities, museums, hospitals, organizations, and everyday life — which was a tactic employed by the Nazis in the 1930s," Treygar told the Post.
In August, Nassau County legislators approved a bill outlawing the wearing of masks in public. Under the legislation, violators could face a year in prison and a $1,000 fine for illegally wearing a mask in public.
The "Mask Transparency Act" was passed in light of the antisemitism displayed at anti-Israel protests, where demonstrators frequently wear masks or other face coverings to avoid being identified.