Nassau County eyes mask ban amid alarming rise in antisemitism, hate crimes: ‘Talk is cheap’

The Nassau County legislature plans to pass a law banning demonstrators from hiding their identities with masks to tackle rising antisemitism and hate crimes — the first local government to do so.

“Talk is cheap. What I’m asking for is action. We are going after the thugs who are terrorizing the Jewish community. I’m sick and tired of it,” said Nassau Legislator Mazi Pilip .

“No one is being held accountable. It’s been very vicious. We’ve seen it from California to New York,” said Pilip, an Ethiopian -born Jew from Great Neck.

Pilip said she hoped Nassau’s law — expected to be approved in two weeks — will “put pressure” on Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature and Mayor Eric Adams and the Council — to follow suit.

The bill would prohibit anyone over 16 years of age from wearing masks or other face coverings on public streets and property — with exceptions for healthy and safety reasons or religious custom.

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Violators could get slapped with fines up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail, a misdemeanor crime.

Pilip, who ran as the Republican candidate in the special election for 3rdh Congressional District covering parts of Nassau County and Queens in February, said protesters should not be permitted to exploit free speech rights to promote hate and commit crimes.

“We do not cover our faces. We do not hide,” she said.

One New York City lawmaker praised Pilip’s bill.

“Great to see decisive action coming out of Nassau County. Now it’s time for New York City to do the same same!,” said Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn).

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“Are we going to continue allowing masked criminals and cowards run our streets because we prioritize protecting their ability to hide over all else?,” added Vernikov, who supports a citywide and statewide mask ban.

National civil-rights leaders from Jewish and black communities last month launched a “#UnmaskHateNY” coalition as part of a campaign to deter bigots from using masks to hide their identities — likening the movement to bringing down the Ku Klux Klan.

The #UnMaskHateNY organizers include leaders of the Urban League, the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and clergy.

“Localities taking action can only be viewed as a positive step, and we hope this move by Nassau County will increase momentum for a much-needed statewide ban on masked intimidation to ensure that all New Yorkers are safe from targeting, terror and harassment by those who hid their identities to menace with impunity.,” a spokesman for the #UnMaskHateNY campaign said.

The New York Civil Liberties Union opposed the mask ban as stifling the right to protest and questioned its legality.

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“Banning masks puts Nassau County residents’ health and safety at risk and it won’t stop crime — it’s a lose-lose proposition,” said Susan Gottehrer, Nassau Country Regional Director of the NYCLU.

Jewish New Yorkers are concerned about rising antisemitism.

Nearly half of Jewish voters have felt at risk because of their religious identity while living in the Empire State — while more than a third said that New York is no longer a safe haven for their people, according to a poll released Wednesday by the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network.

New York State had a two century old ban on public mask wearing, which was repealed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect public health.

Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday reinstituting a mask ban under state law is the best way to address bigotry.

“As someone who has participated in numerous protests to defend my beliefs, I can confidently say that those fighting for a noble cause do not hide behind masks — cowards do,” the mayor said.

“New York City will always defend the right to free speech and will continue to protect public health, but we are increasingly seeing masked protestors using anonymity to intimidate, threaten, and break the law,. This behavior is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it.

Adams continued, “Our team has been consulting with our state partners and we believe the best path forward is to reinstate the state-wide mask ban that was in place for over 175 years, or to adopt a similar one to address the unacceptable behavior we are seeing.”

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