New York Approves Law To Penalize Masked Crime

New York has approved legislation aimed at increasing penalties for individuals who wear masks while committing crimes, a measure strongly backed by Jewish community organizations and other civil rights groups amid rising concerns about antisemitism and masked harassment.

The law, which creates a class B misdemeanor for wearing a mask “for no legitimate purpose” while committing or fleeing from a crime, is designed to help authorities identify and prosecute perpetrators of hate crimes.

Limited Scope, Not A General Ban

“Despite lies to the contrary, this is not a mask ban,” clarified supporters of the measure, as reported by The Times of Israel.

The law only applies when a person is carrying out or fleeing from a crime, and includes exemptions for legitimate mask usage, including for health and religious purposes.

Coalition Support

The legislative push was supported by a coalition called UnMaskHateNY, bringing together Jewish and Black organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP, who drew parallels between antisemitism by masked attackers and historical persecution by hooded Ku Klux Klan members.

Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Jewish state assemblyman from the Bronx who advocated for the legislation, connected the measure to incidents including masked protesters who disrupted a Columbia University class on Israel’s modern history.

Addressing Rising Incidents

Law enforcement officials have indicated that masking had impeded investigations into criminal conduct at protests and demonstrations, including several incidents targeting Jewish people on college campuses and in public spaces.

The push for legislation gained momentum following an upsurge in antisemitism in New York City, which according to NYPD data saw Jews targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in recent periods.

Mixed Reactions

While many community leaders celebrated the law’s passage, some groups, including a coalition called Jews for Mask Rights, opposed the measure, expressing concerns about its potential impact on free assembly and immunocompromised individuals.

Critics characterized the legislation as a “mask ban” despite its limited scope, with some organizations including the New York branch of the American Civil Liberties Union calling on lawmakers to reject the measure, according to Prism Reports.