New York lawmakers approved a 50-foot security buffer zone around houses of worship as part of the state budget. The measure responds to pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the past year outside synagogues hosting Israeli real estate events in New York City. The law makes it a misdemeanor for protesters to knowingly put people accessing a house of worship in reasonable fear for their safety. It also covers community centers and religious schools. The UJA-Federation of New York praised the change as a way to ensure safe access and protect the right to worship without harassment or intimidation. The legislation follows a city-level law that insulated houses of worship from protests by requiring NYPD safety plans, after an earlier 100-foot buffer zone was reduced.
"Micah Lasher, one of the Assembly members who introduced the bill and a Democratic candidate for Congress in Manhattan’s NY-12, said in a statement to JTA that the legislation “sends a strong message that the state is committed to protecting places of religious observance and the New Yorkers who visit them, at a time of greater threat than any in recent history.”"
#religious-freedom #protests-and-public-safety #new-york-state-legislation #houses-of-worship-security #nyc-politics
Read at Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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