There are exceptions for religious and health reasons, but generally bars groups from wearing masks in public, regardless of if they’re engaging in criminal activity or not.
Republicans in Nassau County, New York passed a bill against wearing masks (aka face diapers) in public places Monday.
Proponents of the ordinance argued the ban would help combat crimes committed during protests.
According to the Gothamist, the debate preceding the vote was described as being ‘raucous’.
“Presiding Officer Howard Kopel said the Mask Transparency Act was introduced in response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Progressives called the measure part of a “culture war” that targets demonstrators supporting Palestine in the ongoing war,” the Gothamist said on Monday.
When it came to a vote, the bill passed 12-0 with all seven Democrats abstaining.
The bill makes it a misdemeanor offense punishable with a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
Ironically, the bill was sparked by Muslim and Islamist sympathizers protesting for Palestine, a religious group known to wear masks for religious reasons.
There are exceptions for religious and health reasons, but generally bars groups from wearing masks in public, regardless of if they’re engaging in criminal activity or not.
With the exceptions for religious and health reasons, it may be hard to prosecute protestors for wearing masks as proving a motive of why they’re wearing them may be impossible.
The main goal of the legislation is so that people cannot conceal their identities.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is expected to sign the bill into law.
Democrats proposed a similar bill, which aimed to enhance charges against those wearing masks in the commission of a crime, not a blanket ban.
“Our bill respects individual freedoms by not imposing blanket prohibitions on wearing masks in public. Law-abiding citizens could wear masks for health, safety, religious, or celebratory purposes without fear,” Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Unlike the broad and punitive Republican bill, our approach avoids unconstitutional overreach and respects personal liberties.”
The debate turned raucous as maskies and bare-facers clashed in a heated argument.
“Debate on the bill became volatile as both those for and opposed lined up to speak, and police arrested one woman opposing the bill, carrying her out of the room in handcuffs,” the Gothamist said.
There has been a historical precedent in banning masks due to the crimes normally associated with it.
“Proponents of banning masks in public point to an 1845 state statute aimed first at insurrections by Hudson Valley tenant farmers who used disguises to attack police. The law was later used to combat the Ku Klux Klan. It has mostly been enforced as disorderly conduct, a violation punishable by $250 and up to 15 days in jail,” the Gothamist said.
