On Sunday, September 15, Nassau County police targeted and arrested a Palestine solidarity activist protesting while wearing a keffiyeh. The arrest took place while activists were protesting the illegal sale of stolen Palestinian land at a so-called “real estate” event in Cedarhurst, New York. This is one of the first arrests to happen under Nassau County’s new “Mask Transparency Act,” which criminalizes the wearing of a mask or face covering unless done for whatever the police deem to be health or religious reasons. Under this new law, those targeted for arrest face a misdemeanor charge punishable by up to a year in jail and a USD 1,000 fine.
The mask ban was signed into law on August 15, despite the fact that COVID-19 cases are rising in Long Island.
According to organizers of the protest, “This ban violates the First Amendment rights of the people in Nassau County and is part of a wave of politically motiated repressive measures across the country intended to punish those standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people against US-backed Israeli genocide.” The mask ban was enacted in the context of the wave of Palestine solidarity protests occurring in the past year, and its supporters claim it will curb what they deem to be anti-semitic activity. Often, Palestine solidarity actions are attacked with accusations of anti-semitism, both in the US and around the world. In November of last year, as an example, only two members of the United States House of Representatives did not vote in favor of a resolution which reaffirms Israel’s right to exist and “recognizes that denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism.”
On Tuesday, September 17th, activists gathered at Nassau County Legislature to protest the arrest of the Palestine solidarity activist.
“This ban criminalizes lawful forms of expression that have political and cultural significance and prevents individuals from protecting their right to privacy,” reads a press release by organizations active in the movement for Palestine in Long Island, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) – Long Island, PALI Coalition, the ANSWER Coalition, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, PAL-Awda NY/NJ: Palestinian Assembly for Liberation, Muslims for Progress, and Jews Against White Supremacy.
Rachel Hu, a spokesperson for ANSWER Coalition, said, “Last month we came out to protest the ban because we knew that the ban was going to be used to stop people who have political speech who are coming out and saying what they believe. It was going to be used to politically repress people. No matter what we knew that Bruce Blakeman was going to use this ban as a way to stop political speech in Nassau County, and that is exactly what happened on Sunday.”
Kiana Abbady, a board chair with Long Island Progressive Coalition stated, “the idea of wearing a mask for your own personal safety is not just for yourself but also for the population that you want to exist in.”
Farhana, speaking on behalf of Muslims for Progress, denounced the arrest as, “one of the most egregious attacks on our free speech. Not only are we repressed by physical intimidation by cops, wasting our taxpayer dollars bringing horses to our actions, trampling over our protesters engaging in their right to protest. Now we have a law to target protesters. Make no mistake, this ban is targeting pro-Palestine activists, there is no doubt about that.”
