Ohio’s Republican attorney general is pushing back against critics, warning that anti-Israel protesters wearing masks could face prison terms under state law and XXX.
“The First Amendment protects you and you can say whatever you want to say. Even hateful things are protected by the First Amendment,” Ohio’s Dave Yost said this week. He told FOX News Digital. “But the First Amendment has always been designed to be a shield against the government. It’s not a sword against your fellow students, and they have rights too. , limited by their right to attend school.”If they go to the library, they get their education and the value of the tuition they pay. ”
in letter sent on mondayYost warned university presidents that masked anti-Israel protesters on campus could face felony charges under a historic state law.
“This law is an old law,” Yost told FOX News Digital. “It goes back to the 20th century and was originally designed to make sure people like the Ku Klux Klan were accountable, and of course why the Ku Klux Klan wore hoods and masks over their faces. couldn’t be identified because they were committing a crime, so the Ohio General Assembly said it’s OK to wear a mask, it’s OK to wear a hood, but they can’t be identified because they’re committing a crime with two or more other people. I said it’s okay if you commit it. If you cover yourself up, we’ll see it as a higher crime, a worse kind of act, because you consciously committed it. They are doing this because they are trying to hide their identity because they know they are doing something wrong.”
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Anti-Israel demonstrator, Ohio AG Dave Yost (Getty Images)
In his letter, Yost warned the Ohio university that “violation of this ‘no impersonation’ law is a fourth-degree felony, punishable by six to 18 months in prison.”
“Those found guilty may pay a fine of up to $5,000 and spend up to five years in community control. (See Ohio Revised Statutes 3761.99) much more severe than the misdemeanor that typically follows.”
Students and outside activists routinely wear face coverings, with some blaming the coronavirus and others saying they fear retaliation.
“They’ll say it in interviews,” Yost said. “I’ve seen it in numerous reports, and they’re afraid of retaliation. I won’t quote you, but what is the retaliation? The university authorities are fully committed to this woke anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian rhetoric. They didn’t do that.” You don’t have to worry about getting expelled for expressing your opinion, but who will retaliate against you? Well, arson, like trespassing. Retaliation from criminal justice authorities who enforce laws like the law is exactly what this increased surveillance is all about. ”
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks at the Conservative Political Action Coalition Annual Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on March 4, 2023 in Maryland, USA. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Yost’s letter told FOX News Digital that it merely reminded those who try to break the law of the potential prison time that comes with it, but the Ohio Democratic Sen. It drew criticism from some on the left, including Congressman Bill DeMola. A press release has been issued It called Yost “disgusting” and “biased and a blatant misreading of the law.”
“I hope Dave Yost gets the letter and shoves it somewhere out of the sun!” Demola wrote.
”“I think they’re protesting too much,” Yost told Fox News Digital in response to the criticism. “All this letter says is, hey, don’t accidentally become a felon. There’s a law here in the state of Ohio, and by the way, you can’t commit a criminal act, which is while wearing a mask. Unless two or more of you commit separate criminal acts, you won’t even be involved in that law. It makes me realize how intimidating and disgusting it is to advise someone on how to be a law-abiding citizen. I don’t understand. I think Bill DeMola is protesting too much, but he is a Democratic Party operative and a member of the DNC Central Committee, and for him everything is a political game. It must operate according to the rules and provide freedom for all.”
Yost told Fox News Digital that he has been reaching out to the state’s Jewish community and recently met with Israel’s deputy adviser to find a way to ensure Jews are properly protected.
”I am concerned that our ability to protect all our citizens is diminishing. We need to protect the right to protest. We need to protect the rights of other students who are not protesting but actually trying to study and learn. We need to protect the rights of the communities surrounding our universities. And the lack of firm and fair action to enforce laws that are meant to protect us all is truly concerning. It’s part of a wave of iniquities that is beginning to sweep the nation, from borders and failures to enforce them, to the Biden administration’s illegal actions in usurping Congress to enact laws by statute. ”
Yost said if he could say one thing to the masked and violent anti-Israel protesters, it would be to remind them that the heroes of their past did not hide their true identity.
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A protester holds a placard during a march in support of a protest camp supporting Palestinians on the Columbia University campus. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)
”“I want to tell you that the heroes of the 1960s didn’t wear masks,” Yost said.
“Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis weren’t wearing masks when they walked through Selma. Value your expression. Follow the dictates of conscience and don’t break the law. .”
