According to the poll, conducted by Mercury Public Affairs for the civil rights coalition #UnMaskHateNY,
75 percent of voters in New York support a mask ban during public protests,
as highlighted by the New York Post’s website.
More than two-thirds – 68 percent – of 800 respondents queried said that although protecting free speech rights during protests is important, it must be balanced with public safety and does not extend to someone terrorizing others by engaging in hateful or harassing behavior. Only 23 percent of the 800 respondents said they believe people should have the ability to wear anything they choose regardless of their behavior, V4NA reports.
About 60 percent of voters believe that hate and harassment based on a person’s race, ethnicity or religious affiliation is worse now than it has been in a long time, while only 12 percent claim that it’s more favorable than before,
the poll found. But a staggering 74 percent of Jewish voters surveyed said discrimination and harassment is worse, as did two-thirds of elderly voters over the age of 65. Meanwhile, 55 percent of voters stated they feel less safe, including 58 percent of elderly elderly voters and 60 percent of women.
Additionally, 50 percent of voters polled said they are concerned that they may be a victim of targeted harassment or a hate crime.
Numerous reports and studies have shown that antisemitism against Jewish New Yorkers and Americans has exploded following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Also, anti-Israel protests became commonplace in reaction to the ongoing war in Gaza since the attacks.
Members of the #UnMaskHateNY coalition said it’s for state lawmakers to act and approve a mask ban similar to a longstanding ban they say helped expose the Ku Klux Klan after the group terrorized black Americans in the 1900s. New York’s previous ban on face coverings was repealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks were considered essential in curbing the spread of the deadly disease during the peak of the outbreak. The proposed new law would come with medical and religious exemptions that would allow people to wear masks.
It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of New Yorkers have had enough when it comes to masked harassment and intimidation in our state. For months, we’ve watched in horror as masked individuals have used face coverings to threaten and terrorize others with impunity – including in front of synagogues and October 7th memorials,
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), stated. He added that “the overwhelming support for anti-masked harassment legislation should be a clear wake up call to lawmakers. It is long past time to unmask hate in New York and put an end to hiding one’s identity in order to menace and intimidate.”
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, on Monday the NY Civil Liberties Union announced bringing together a coalition opposing a mask ban. “Criminalizing masks puts New Yorkers’ health and safety at risk, opens the floodgates for selective and racially-biased enforcement, threatens to exile some people with disabilities and those who care for them from society, and undermines protections for people engaging in political protest,” said Allie Bohm, senior policy counsel at the NYCLU.
Cover photo: A masked protester at a demonstration in New York (Photo: AFP)
