CAIR-NY Expresses Concerns Over New Mask Law’s Threat to Civil Rights, Peaceful Protest
(NEW YORK, NY, 5/14/2025) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the state’s leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today raised alarm over the threat to civil rights and peaceful protest posed by Governor Kathy Hochul’s support for a new statute that creates a Class B misdemeanor for wearing a mask to conceal identity while committing or fleeing from a Class A misdemeanor or higher.
This provision, which was introduced alongside $2.3 million in funding for mass violence crisis response preparation, threatens to intensify the criminalization of protesters and disproportionately impact marginalized communities who want to protect themselves from doxxing.
SEE: Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Fight Crime and Keep New Yorkers Safe
SEE: Gov. Hochul is pushing a last-minute mask ban in state budget talks
SEE: Hochul Softens Stance on Ban Against Wearing Face Masks in Public
Hochul first indicated a potential “mask ban” in June 2024, with many reported changes to the intensity and scope of Hochul’s ban, such as medical and religious exemptions.
Afaf Nasher, Esq., Executive Director of CAIR-NY, stated:
“This provision is being framed as a public safety measure, but risks escalating surveillance, policing, and prosecutions of individuals, particularly students and people of color, exercising their right to protest. Criminalizing mask use in this way could expose activists to retaliation, doxxing, and unwarranted arrests, all under the guise of public safety.
“Coupled with heightened enforcement threats and recent I.C.E. arrests of pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide student activists, CAIR-NY warns that the measure may be used to suppress dissent and chill political expression.”
CAIR-NY has previously criticized local mask bans across New York for undermining public health and First Amendment rights.
SEE: CAIR-NY Raises Public Health, Free Speech Concerns about Nassau County Proposed Mask Ban
CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT:
Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, CAIR-NY, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com;
CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com