NY Gov. Kathy Hochul considers face mask ban to combat antisemitic crime

New York lawmakers are debating if protesters should be allowed to wear face masks. Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., is considering a face mask ban on subways over concerns that people are concealing their identities to get away with antisemitic hate crimes.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsible for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “My team is working on a solution but on a subway people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

Hochul said any face mask ban would need to go through the New York Legislature. According to the governor, there would be exemptions to any potential ban, including those wearing masks for health reasons like COVID-19 or pollution concerns, as well as cultural and religious exemptions.

Hochul did not specify how officials would police the policy if it were to take effect.

The governor cited specific examples of recent antisemitic crimes. On Monday, June 10, a group of masked anti-Israeli protesters took over subway cars. Hochul said the protesters were chanting things about Hitler and wiping out Jews, calling for Zionists to leave the train.

Hochul also referred to another incident on Wednesday, June 12, where homes belonging to the Jewish director and board members of the Brooklyn Museum were vandalized. No suspects have claimed responsibility for the vandalism yet.

The New York Civil Liberties Union has come out against the idea of banning masks on subways. The organization referred to an old state law that banned face masks in public as a response to protests over rent. That state law was repealed in 2020 as the pandemic hit.

“Mask bans were originally developed to squash political protests and, like other laws that criminalize people, they will be selectively enforced — used to arrest, doxx, surveil, and silence people of color and protestors the police disagree with,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the group, said in a statement.

New York Mayor Eric Adams has voiced support for reinstating a version of past mask bans, suggesting shopkeepers have people remove their masks to enter.