Leftist groups to rally against NYC synagogue buffer zone bill vote

Leftist groups in New York City are planning a rally at City Hall tomorrow to protest against legislation meant to protect houses of worship and educational institutions.

The City Council proposed the legislation earlier this year in response to vitriolic protests outside synagogues.

The council’s Committee to Combat Hate, which is pushing for the buffer zone legislation, is meeting tomorrow.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, the far-left Jews for Economic and Racial Justice, the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace, and Pal-Awda, the group that led the synagogue protests, are holding a rally on the steps of City Hall to protest the meeting.

“These zones violate the First Amendment, enable biased policing, and add fuel to the Trump regime’s dangerous attacks on dissent,” the groups say in a joint statement.

New York City’s branch of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America instructs its supporters to tell city council members to vote against the legislation, as well as a bill that would provide private schools with funding for security.

“These bills expand the capacity of the NYPD to police and surveil Black, brown, and immigrant New Yorkers, jeopardizing the safety of protestors exercising their First Amendment rights,” the NYC DSA says.

The party is the home base of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The buffer zone legislation initially called for a protected area of up to 100 feet (30.5 meters) around houses of worship, but was later attenuated, removing mention of a specific distance, instead asking police to propose a plan for buffer zones to “contain the risk of injury, intimidation, and interference, while preserving and protecting protest rights, at places of religious worship.”

Police representatives have said the legislation would not have a significant impact on how officers operate on the ground, but would increase transparency around their handling of protests.