As Jews and allies in Baltimore who are wholeheartedly committed to Palestinian human rights, we fervently oppose the Maryland legislature’s S.B. 709/H.B. 1081, the “Unmask Hate Act.” In February, the bill was heard in committee, and its next stop would be the floors of the State Senate and the State House. In practice, this bill will criminalize protest and mask-wearing, enabling dangerous right-wing attacks on our civil rights and endangering public health. While we oppose harassment and intimidation, these actions are already illegal. This bill does not effectively protect against such violence, which has nothing to do with wearing masks. Instead, this bill could function as a blanket prohibition on wearing masks at protests and could be used to punish mask-wearing protesters for disfavored speech. As such, it directly undermines the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and express their views, particularly in contexts where they may need protection from respiratory illness, doxxing, harassment or violence.

For over 500 days, we have been engaged in our right to peacefully protest against the State of Israel’s U.S.-funded genocide in Gaza. At these protests, we wear masks along with many of our allies because masks provide critical protection for our health and safety. COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic and many people still feel safer gathering when wearing masks. The overwhelming majority of protests for Palestinian freedom are nonviolent and welcoming to all people of conscience who adhere to international law and defend human rights. Yet, many peaceful protestors have faced severe repercussions for their participation in demonstrations, including being fired from their jobs and doxxing — where personal information is shared publicly to incite harassment and in some cases death threats. Masks serve as a critical layer of protection for individuals who fear retaliation or harassment due to their beliefs or activism.

The bill’s sponsors have been open about their intent to target speech critical of the State of Israel, describing this bill as a response to protests against what the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders refer to as a genocide in Palestine. The bill is part of a pattern of anti-masking mandates that are being used to attack disabled people and the Palestinian solidarity movement. As Baltimoreans, we stand with civil rights groups like the ACLU who oppose these anti-masking mandates.

This is a time to support mask mandates in health care facilities and beyond, not limit the places people are legally allowed to mask. Currently we are in a period of record-high flu rates in this state, and very high rates of COVID and RSV.

As a result, the Maryland Department of Health just recommended universal masking in all health care facilities. Research shows that repeat COVID infections cause long-term damage to people’s vascular, neurological and other bodily systems. Long COVID is incredibly debilitating and affects many Americans. Nationally, the U.S. public health infrastructure is at greater risk than ever, as anti-medication and anti-vaccination ideology gains positional power in the federal government with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s heading the Department of Health and Human Services, and as the recently gutted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against bird flu.

Do not be fooled by this bill’s carve-out for masks worn for health and religious reasons. The “legitimate” wearing of masks is subject to the interpretation of police officers. This legal authority to police mask-wearing at protests puts many at significant risk, especially people of minoritized racial identities as well as immunocompromised and disabled people.

The sponsors of this bill have described it as an important example of solidarity between the Jewish and Black communities in the face of right-wing attacks on marginalized groups, but they do not speak for us or our allies in the Black community. Masked peaceful protesters in solidarity with Palestine, many of whom are Jewish and/or Black, are not a threat to Jewish safety.

The real threat to Jewish communities is violence-inciting white supremacists and those who empower their attacks on our civil liberties. This bill will chill legitimate political speech while exposing citizens to health risks as well as risks of doxxing, harassment and violence. Maryland legislators must reject this dangerous bill.

Rebecca Armendariz, Alison Cannon and Nikki Morse are activists with Jewish Voice for Peace Action who live in Baltimore.