FREE PRESS
Ban Masking Now
Ilya Shapiro
January 6, 2025

…“Wearing a mask for the purpose of committing crimes against innocent New Yorkers or for the purpose of intimidating and harassing Jewish students on college campuses should be strictly prohibited by state law,” [Congressman Ritchie] Torres posted Thursday on X. As it happens, New York State had the oldest anti-masking law in the nation but repealed it during the pandemic. Torres is correct in calling for its reinstatement. He’s also right to connect the state legislature’s failure to do so to the abuse of Jewish college students by pro-Hamas fanatics. The State Assembly considered two bills to bring the ban back last year, but didn’t act amid pushback from left-wing groups. Despite the state’s dithering, it has become obvious that the repeal of anti-masking laws has had disastrous consequences for cities like New York. READ MORE