NY lawmakers dismiss Hochuls mask restriction as nothing burger in wake of anti-Israel protesters latest violent attack on Columbia

It’s a mask slip-up.A Gov.Kathy Hochul-backed mask ban in the $254 billion state budget deal drew jeers from lawmakers, who said it didn’t go nearly far enough as they lined up to vote on the spending package Thursday.The anti-mask measure was ultimately watered down to the point it will not be an actual “ban,” instead creating additional jail time and other minor penalties for people who wear face coverings to conceal their identities while committing crimes.“This is a nothing burger,” state Sen.

Anthony Palumbo (R-Suffolk) said while debating the budget on the Senate floor Thursday.“This was well intended, I’m sure, but it doesn’t get us to where we need to go,” he added.Many Jewish groups had pushed for a mask ban as a way to combat antisemitism by masked protesters in the wake of the Oct.7, 2023, attacks by Hamas against Israel.“It’s nice that we have it.

We could all go home and say that we did something, but did we really?” state Sen.Jack Martins (R-Nassau) railed on the Senate floor.“We passed something, but from a practical standpoint, we did not prioritize the safety of innocent people across the state,” Martins added.A group of organizations called the Unmask Hate Coalition that includes the Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, UJA Federation of New York and National Urban League nonetheless hailed the new penalty enhancer.“This law couldn’t have come a day sooner, ” the coalition wrote in a statement Wednesday.“With this new language on the books, we look forward to long-awaited oversight and accountability for any and all individuals who would hide their faces to commit crimes with impunity, whether terrorizing, vandalizing, or harassing others.

NYPD, DA Bragg –– do your thing.”The new statute hadn’t been signed into law as of Thursday evening, so it likely won’t have any affect on the cases of masked, anti-Israel rabble-rousers who stormed a library on Columbia University’s campus one day earlier.Jewish law...