Keffiyeh-clad protester outside synagogue charged with violating NY county’s mask ban

EAST MEADOW, New York — A pro-Palestinian protestor wearing a keffiyeh scarf has been charged with violating a suburban New York City county’s new law banning face masks in public, reviving fears from opponents that the statute is being used to diminish free speech rights.

Police say the 26-year-old North Bellmore resident was arrested Sunday afternoon during a protest in front of Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, an Orthodox synagogue near the New York City borough of Queens.

Nassau County Police Department spokesperson Scott Skrynecki says that officers questioned the man because he had been concealing his face with a keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people.

Police on the scene asked him if he was wearing the garment for medical or religious purposes, which are the two major exceptions to the new ban, according to Skrynecki. When the man confirmed he was wearing it in solidarity with Palestinians and not for either of those reasons, he was placed under arrest, Skrynecki says. He was eventually released with a notice to appear in court on October 2.

Videos showing some of the arrest have been shared on social media. They show the man wearing the keffiyeh around his neck as he’s led away by officers in handcuffs and continues to lead others in pro-Palestinian chants.

The man didn’t respond to calls and social media messages seeking comment Thursday.

Rachel Hu, a spokesperson for ANSWER Coalition, which organized a rally this week against the arrest, says the man is currently seeking legal counsel and won’t be commenting on the case until then.

“We feel that this arrest (and this ban overall) was aimed at intimidating known activists to discourage us from using our first amendment right to protest,” Hu writes in an email.

Sunday’s arrest is the third under the Mask Transparency Act approved by Nassau County’s Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by Executive Bruce Blakeman last month, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.