A new City Council bill would allow the NYPD to decide when houses of worship in the city should be protected from protesters by buffer zones and how big those zones should be.
What You Need To Know
A new City Council bill would allow the NYPD to decide when houses of worship in the city should be protected from protesters by buffer zones
The legislation is part of Council Speaker Julie Menin’s five-point plan to combat antisemitism, but she says it aims to protect all New Yorkers regardless of faith or background
It comes amid a rise in hate crimes since 2020, with more than half of complaints involving anti-Jewish bias, according to the council speaker
The legislation is part of Council Speaker Julie Menin’s five-point plan to combat antisemitism, but she says it aims to protect all New Yorkers regardless of faith or background.
“Just this past January, we saw an average of one antisemitic incident reported every single day,” she said.
Menin, among City Council members and interfaith leaders, was rallying to support the legislation.
“The protesters have every right to make us uncomfortable and even be unpleasant. But not the right to intimidate, bully, harass and threaten violence,” Kevin Sullivan for the Archdiocese of New York said.
Following the rally, the first hearing for the newly created Committee to Combat Hate, focusing on the package of bills, which is proposed to:
Direct the NYPD to develop a plan around the use of buffer zones at places of worship and at educational facilities.
Require education officials to distribute materials about the risks of social media and online hate.
Require the NYPD to report on the status of hate crime cases.
Establish emergency planning for religious institutions.
Establish a hotline and detailed reports on hate-based incidents.
It comes amid a rise in hate crimes since 2020, with more than half of complaints involving anti-Jewish bias, according to the council speaker.
The antisemitic speech reported at a protest outside Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue in November and reports of pro-Hamas statements during a pro-Palestinian protest at a Kew Gardens temple last month.
In 2024, anti-Muslim hate crimes saw a 69% increase, according to data.
“These incidents inflict real harm on our community, who can become afraid to come to gather to worship and support one another,” Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who is a committee chair, said.
Critics of the legislation say the proposals about buffer zones or security perimeters would limit freedom of speech outside houses of worship, which the speaker and NYPD officials deny.
After taking office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani revoked several executive orders by his predecessor, including one directing the NYPD to establish buffer zones during protests outside of houses of worship, but he then reinstated that one.
Sources with the speaker’s office say the legislation is different because it does not mandate buffer zones but requires the NYPD to be transparent about the use of them and does not have one-size fits all perimeter requirements.
All of this legislation is in the committee stage and would still need a full City Council vote for passage.