Nassau County mask ban leads to arrest at Cedarhurst pro-Palestinian rally

A pro-Palestinian activist who police said wore a kaffiyeh at a protest in Cedarhurst on Sunday in violation of Nassau's face mask ban became the first person apparently arrested at a political protest and charged under the month-old ordinance.

Sunday's arrest came after police officers at the rally asked the activist if he was wearing the kaffiyeh — for many, a symbol of support for the Palestinian people — for medical or religious purposes, said Nassau County Police Department spokesman Scott Skrynecki.

When the man said he was wearing the kaffiyeh for neither purpose, Skrynecki said, officers took him into custody. Newsday is not naming the man because he was charged with a misdemeanor.

In late August, a Hicksville man who was allegedly wearing a mask and carrying a 14-inch knife when Nassau police officers stopped in Levittown while investigating a report of a suspicious male, faced weapons and other charges, including for violating the ban.

Nassau's Mask Transparency Act, backed by County Executive Bruce Blakeman and approved in August by the legislature, made it a misdemeanor for people to cover their faces in public, with exceptions for religious, medical and cultural purposes. The measure has been condemned as unconstitutional by civil rights groups, disability rights advocates, public health experts and religious leaders.

Rachel Hu, a spokeswoman for the ANSWER Coalition, one of the groups that organized Sunday’s protest, said the arrest was an attempt to silence critics of United States support for Israel and Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

"This arrest was politically motivated," Hu told Newsday. "I definitely believe he was arrested and targeted for his political beliefs."

Blakeman and Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder were present at Sunday’s protest, Hu said in a news release, "overseeing this blatant infringement of our rights."

Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Blakeman, declined to comment when asked whether the county executive and Ryder were present, or about anything else related to the arrest.

Outside Nassau County headquarters in Mineola on Tuesday evening, Hu was joined by about a dozen people demanding the charges be dropped against the protester and for the mask ban to be rescinded.

Kiana Abbady, a board chair with the Long Island Progressive Coalition, said the ban serves no purpose but to be used as a tool to harass people and is unconstitutional.

"Banning a mask is not going to stop a hate crime or stop someone who has hate in their heart," she said. "You can't determine if someone is wearing a mask to commit a crime."

Rabbi Dovid Feldman, of Neturei Karta International, said he attended the rally Sunday. He said the arrest was a bad experience, adding that silencing anyone's voice is un-American.

"We hope the citizens of the United States will have the rights, the freedom to express their voice to choose their dress," he said. "No one should be silenced for standing up for what they believe in."

The demonstration at Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on Sunday included about 100 protesters. It was held to voice opposition to the sale of occupied Palestinian land, Hu said.

Hu earlier Tuesday shared video that showed the activist cooperating with arresting officers, leading a chant of "free, free Palestine" as he was handcuffed and led away.

He was detained for about three hours Sunday and released with an appearance ticket.

Violations of the Mask Transparency Act are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Fred Klein, a professor at Hofstra University’s law school and a former Nassau County prosecutor, said he believes the law is unconstitutional.

"You have a First Amendment right to protest, to share your views in public, and you have a right to be anonymous," Klein said.