Anti-Israel protesters in New York State who display the flag of terror groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah could face up to four years in prison under suggested new legislation.
The proposed Stand Against Flags of Enemy Terrorists Act would expand the definition of aggravated harassment in the first degree — a class E crime — to include instances when a person displays a symbol of a foreign terrorist organisation with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten or another person, according to state Senator. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblyman Micah Lasher, Manhattan Democrats who are set to introduce the bill this week.
In an interview with the New York Post, Lasher said that New York has long recognised there are some symbols that “cross the line” from free speech to fomenting hate and harassment — “and the emblems of mass-murdering terrorist organisations certainly belong in that category.”
The paper reports that more than 150 anti-Israel protesters gathered in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on 23 February and a Hezbollah flag was prominently displayed as the crowd chanted anti-Israel and antisemitic slogans to honour fallen Hamas leaders instrumental in planning the 7 October massacres across Israel.
In a statement, Hoylman-Sigal said: “Since the October 7 terror attack in Israel, we’ve witnessed a disturbing rise in antisemitic instances here at home, including using symbols and flags of terrorist organisations to harass and intimidate Jewish New Yorkers at their synagogues, businesses and homes, simply because they’re Jewish. No one should be allowed to threaten or harass a New Yorker because they’re Jewish, or any other aspect of their identity protected under state law.”
He added: “We’ve long prohibited using symbols of Neo-Nazis and the KKK to intimidate New Yorkers, and now it’s time to expand that policy under the S.A.F.E.T.Y. Act to add the symbols of foreign terrorist organisations. The SAFETY Act will establish an important new tool in the fight against dangerous antisemitism that has sickeningly flourished since the horrific terrorist attack against Israel on October 7th.”
Eric Goldstein, chief executive of the UJA-Federation of New York, called the rise in antisemitic harassment in New York “alarming”, adding: “No one should have to face intimidation or the feeling that they are unsafe because of their Jewish identity. The S.A.F.E.T.Y. Act is a necessary and sensible measure to prevent the use of terrorist symbols as a tool of hate and intimidation.”
