An Ohio lawmaker has proposed a bill that would require rioters to pay damages for the damages they cause by breaking the law.
The move comes as anti-Israel demonstrators have protested on college campuses and in front of government buildings in Ohio and across the U.S., calling for severing ties with Israel in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Senate Bill 267, which is awaiting committee assignment, was introduced last month by Republican state Sen. Tim Schafer.
“This law is pretty straightforward: if you break it, you fix it,” Schaffer said in a statement.
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Pro-Palestinian students linked arms, chanted slogans and prepared for police to storm the campus after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called on the NYPD to break up the encampment and remove people from Hamilton Hall, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (Seima Bayram via The Associated Press)
“We’ve seen over the past few years how much violence can hit communities and how damaging riots and violent protests can be,” he continued. “We need to hold those who harm or damage property accountable and ensure that they are the ones who pay the price for these actions, not local taxpayers or businesses.”
The proposal would also prohibit government officials from interfering with law enforcement officers during riots. It would prohibit government officials from limiting or restricting the ability of police officers to take measures to quell, arrest, or detain people involved in rioting or vandalism.
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State troopers in riot gear try to break up a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jay Janner/American Statesman)
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“Effective law enforcement is the hallmark of a modern, civilized society,” Schaffer said, “and we must do all we can to ensure that our law enforcement officers are able to fulfill their sworn duties. We are fortunate that they want to do their jobs.”
In anti-Israel protests taking place across the United States, police have been called in to disperse camps set up by demonstrators on university campuses and elsewhere, leading to clashes between police and demonstrators and numerous arrests.
