Ohio AG Warns Anti-Israel Protesters Wearing Masks Face Jail Time

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has warned anti-Israel protesters wearing masks that they could face felony charges and prison time under state law. The warning comes amid a rise in antisemitism on college campuses, with some protesters wearing masks to conceal their identities.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has warned anti-Israel protesters wearing masks that they could face felony charges and prison time under state law. The warning comes amid a rise in antisemitism on college campuses, with some protesters wearing masks to conceal their identities.

In a letter sent to university presidents on Monday, Yost cited a historic state law that makes it a felony for anyone to wear a mask while committing a crime with two or more other people. Violation of the law is punishable by between six and 18 months of imprisonment, as well as fines of up to $5,000.

Yost said the law was originally designed to hold the Ku Klux Klan accountable for its crimes, which were often committed while wearing hoods and masks. He argued that the same principle applies to anti-Israel protesters who wear masks to conceal their identities while engaging in illegal activities.

"Those guilty may also pay up to $5,000 in fines and spend up to five years on community control," Yost said. "This punishment is significantly greater than misdemeanors that typically follow minor infractions that accompany student protests."

Yost said he was concerned about the degeneration of the ability to protect all citizens, including Jewish people. He said that the failure to enforce laws designed to protect all of us is contributing to the lawlessness sweeping the land.

"I am concerned about the degeneration of our ability to protect all citizens. We need to protect that right to protest. We need to protect the rights of the other students who are not protesting but are actually trying to study and learn. We need to protect the rights of the communities around the universities. And, the failure to take firm, fair action to enforce the laws that are designed to protect all of us is really concerning," Yost said.

Yost's warning has sparked criticism from some on the left, including Ohio Democratic State Sen. Bill DeMora, who called it a "disgusting" and "blatant misread of the law."

"I hope that Dave Yost takes his letter and shoves it where the sun don’t shine!" DeMora wrote.

Yost responded to the criticism by saying that the letter was simply a reminder to those who intend to break the law that prison time could come along with that. He said he was not advising people on how to be a law-abiding citizen, but rather informing them of the consequences of breaking the law.

"All the letter does is say, hey, don't become an accidental felon. Ohio has a law here and incidentally it's not even implicated unless you're committing a criminal act, another criminal act with two or more people while you're wearing a mask. I don't understand how advising somebody about how to be a law abiding citizen, is intimidating or disgusting. I think Bill DeMora protests too much, but then he's Democratic operative, a member of the DNC Central Committee, and everything's a political game to him. We have a society here that needs to run according to the rules and to allow freedom to everybody," Yost said.

Yost said that if he could say one thing to the anti-Israel protesters engaging in violence while wearing masks, he would remind them that their heroes from the past didn't hide their identities.

"I'd tell them your heroes from the 1960s didn't wear masks," Yost said. "Martin Luther King Jr and John Lewis weren't in masks when they walked in Selma. Own your expression. Own the dictates of your conscience and don't break the law."