NEW YORK (AP) — New York has enacted legislation making it a criminal offense to prevent individuals from accessing houses of worship or to engage in behavior that causes worshippers to feel threatened when entering religious facilities, following a wave of disruptive demonstrations at synagogues across the state.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the legislation on Tuesday, which also grants law enforcement the authority to create 50-foot protective zones around religious buildings where demonstrations are prohibited.
“Every New Yorker should be able to enter their house of worship and practice their religion without fear,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement.
However, opponents express concern that these protective zones might be utilized to suppress peaceful protests or restrict constitutional speech rights.
“This law risks chilling activism at a time when the voices of New Yorkers are more needed than ever, which will be a gift to the Trump administration,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “This effort to trade away New Yorkers’ rights was needless and reflects the worst kind of governance.”
The governor enacted this legislation following multiple demonstrations at synagogues that were hosting real estate gatherings encouraging relocation to Israel and territories under Israeli control in the West Bank.
Organizations supporting Palestinian causes have contended that these gatherings are components of an extended effort to displace Arab populations from Israel and territories under its authority. They further assert that such events support the expansion of unauthorized Jewish communities in occupied regions.
However, certain Jewish community leaders have characterized these demonstrations as antisemitic in nature.
At one demonstration outside a Queens synagogue, protesters voiced support for Hamas. Additional protests have escalated into confrontations between groups supporting Israel and those backing Palestinian causes.
The recent legislation establishes misdemeanor charges for individuals who obstruct access to religious facilities.
The concept of establishing protest-free zones has been under review for several months, creating questions about how authorities can maintain equilibrium between constitutional speech protections and religious freedom rights in legislation that could withstand legal challenges. In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a 35-foot demonstration-free area outside Massachusetts abortion facilities, ruling it violated constitutional principles.
Hochul’s signed legislation will take effect across the entire state and encompasses all religious facilities, including mosques, which have also faced protests in previous years.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has additionally enacted separate municipal legislation requiring the New York Police Department to reveal strategies for managing demonstrations outside religious buildings and guidelines for implementing security perimeters.
Mamdani rejected similar legislation that would have covered protests near schools due to concerns about overly broad definitions of educational institutions.
