While Gov. Kathy Hochul weighs a mask ban, one pro-Israel activist expressed her support for the plan, calling out antisemitic agitators «hiding behind their hate.»
«This uniformity of hate is designed to not only intimidate, but to really allow these people to hide behind their hate in the same way we see keyboard warriors hiding their hate, hiding their faces,» activist Lizzy Savetsky said on «Fox & Friends» Friday.
«If you are proud of your message, you’re not hiding,» she said.
Since the October 7 attacks, a wave of anti-Israel protests has swelled throughout cities across the U.S. New York City has been home to numerous demonstrations on college campuses like Columbia and even throughout the city’s subway system.
Most of the protesters donned face coverings and head scarfs to conceal their identity while also showing solidarity with Palestinians.
«The mask is really designed to embolden the wearer by concealing their identity. They say and do things that they wouldn’t otherwise have the confidence to do,» Savetsky said.
N.Y.’s potential ban would restrict masks and face coverings in the subway system with exemptions for certain health, cultural or religious reasons.
The announcement from Hochul’s office comes after another string of anti-Israel demonstrations. As part of a «day of rage for Gaza» Monday, agitators flooded a subway car and began shouting at passengers to «raise your hand if you’re a Zionist.»
The question was followed by an intimating threat – «this is your chance to get out.»
Demonstrations like the «day of rage» on Monday are becoming all too common in the city, but the concern extends beyond the subway system.
«This has gone far beyond the subway. This has taken over our streets,» Savetsky said. «I really think this goes back to the mid 20th century when we saw bans in place for the Ku Klux Klan who were hiding behind their hoods and face coverings. We need to see this again.»
Savetsky, who has received numerous death threats in person and online, reasoned a ban could help reduce the number of antisemitic incidents and deescalate protests.
«I really think that people are just much more inclined to be more hateful and violent when they’re not showing their face. And on the contrary, when you can show your face and when you can look someone in the eye, that is when you can really break down the barriers of hate and build bridges of understanding,» she said.
«All of these perpetrators of these threats have one thing in common. They all conceal their identities. If they have to show their face, we’ll see a lot less of this hate, these threats and this violence.»
