A proposed law could lead to jail terms for anti-Israel demonstrators who display flags from terror groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah in New York if lawmakers approve it.
Brad HoylmanSigal’s office, a Democrat from New York State, is introducing a bill called the Stand Against Flags of Enemy Terrorists Act.
The New York Post was the first to report on the proposed bill. It would extend the definition of first-degree aggravated harassment to cases in which someone displays the symbol of an international terrorist group with the intention to annoy, threaten, or harass another person.
The maximum sentence for those found guilty is four years.
Hoylman-Sigal introduced the bill with New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is also a Democrat.
New York City Council minority leader Joann Ariola told Fox that the two Democrats who are introducing this bill may help convince liberal legislators to vote in favor of the measure.
Ariola stated, “We’ve already criminalized the burning of crosses, swastikas, and nooses. Why not use this latest method of terrorizing and threatening people who belong to a particular religion or ethnicity?”
Ariola stated that although groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union might challenge the bill based on free speech, flags from terrorist organizations are “messages of hatred.”
Israel’s war in Gaza has sparked anti-Israel demonstrations across the U.S. following Hamas-led terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed approximately 1,200.
Anti-Israel protesters arrested last month at New York City Barnard College, after activists took over an entire building. Violence broke out a week before in a New York City Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood, with agitators shouting “Zionists, go to Hell.”