New York’s Nassau County on Wednesday passed a controversial ban on wearing face coverings in public, a move that has been criticized by politicians and civil rights advocates.
The Mask Transparency Act, signed by Republican county executive Bruce Blakeman, makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to wear a face covering to conceal their identity in public. People who violate the law could be sentenced to up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, though there are some exceptions for health or religious reasons.
Opponents of the bill have described it as “a dangerous abuse of the law to score political points and target protesters” given that it was introduced in response to protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, while a New York state senator warned it “could fuel anti-Asian hatred.”
Blakeman, a controversial Trump supporter who was recently post on X said the “Democratic Party is a hotbed of Jew-hatred, pro-criminal policies and anti-Americanism!” and said the ban is a “bill that protects the public,” NBC News reported. The politician criticized pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York City and claimed the ban would reduce crime, but others disagree.
“Nassau County’s mask ban is a dangerous abuse of the law to score political points and target protesters. Excluding people who speak out from protecting themselves and their identities endangers their health and well-being, especially people with disabilities, people of color, and people with unpopular views,” Susan Gottehrer, regional director of the Nassau County New York Civil Liberties Union, said after the bill was accepted.
“Masks protect people who express unpopular political views. Making anonymous protest illegal freezes political action and is ripe for selective enforcement, leading to doxxing, surveillance, and retaliation against protesters.”
In a propositionNew York State Senator Iwen Chu said wearing masks is “a common practice in many Asian cultures” and that some have adopted them “as a social responsibility to prevent health crises from spreading.”
Chu added: “I am concerned about the potential for bias and hate crimes arising from this new legislation banning mask wearing. Legislation like this could lead to anti-Asian hatred and discrimination against the population who require masks for health, cultural and religious reasons.”
The bill was introduced by Mazi Pilip, a Republican lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for Congress earlier this year. Pillip alleged that “terrorist supporters across the country, and especially in New York, are hiding behind the mask and terrorizing the Jewish community.”
The bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature on Aug. 6. Howard Kopel, a Republican lawmaker who voted for the bill, said the measure was introduced in response to “anti-Semitic incidents, often committed by people wearing masks” since Israel began its war on Gaza.
In June, New York Governor Kathy Hochul reportedly considered banning face masks on the New York City subway.