There is a lot of attention after New York State considered banning the wearing of masks in subways, including public places where protests are taking place. New York Governor Cathy Hochul pointed out on the 13th, “Recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people wearing masks to conceal their identity and committing anti-Semitic acts,” and added, “We will not tolerate people wearing masks to avoid responsibility for illegal or harmful acts.”. “We are discussing a plan to ban the wearing of masks to clearly enforce the law against hate crimes.”
According to the Governor’s Office, the mask ban currently under consideration is primarily focused on the New York City subway. This was triggered by an incident that occurred on the night of the 10th, when protesters wearing masks occupied a subway car in Manhattan, threatening passengers and shouting anti-Semitic slogans. The governor’s office explains that although there has not yet been a specific plan to ban wearing masks in the subway, exceptions will be made at a commonsense level, such as when masks are worn for health, cultural, or religious reasons, holiday costumes, Halloween, etc.
Additionally, it has been reported that areas where masks are prohibited will include public places where protests take place, in addition to the subway. Governor Hochul said, “In response to concerns from the Jewish community about the increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes, we have begun discussions with the mayor of New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and the state legislature to come up with a related plan,” adding, “The existing New York City, whose implementation was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, He emphasized, “Restoring the state mask-wearing ban is also one way.”
According to the Governor’s Office, New York State enacted a law banning the wearing of masks in 1845, but enforcement was suspended for the first time in 180 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This law was enacted to prevent people from covering their faces with bandanas during protests over rent issues at the time, and violators of the law were sentenced to 15 days in prison. New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed support for the governor’s push to ban wearing masks.
Mayor Adams said, “I support the reinstatement of the law banning the wearing of masks,” and emphasized, “We must return to the time before the pandemic when demonstrators were not allowed to wear masks.” Meanwhile, there is considerable opposition to the governor’s push to ban wearing masks.
The New York Civil Liberties Union expressed its opposition, saying, “wearing a mask should not be a crime,” and “a ban on wearing masks may be unfairly applied to people of color.”