Nassau lawmakers seek to regulate protests outside houses of worship

Nassau lawmakers on Monday are seeking  to limit protests outside religious houses  of worship.

The Religious Safety Act, introduced by Legis. Mazi Pilip (R-Great Neck), would make it illegal to protest, distribute pamphlets, “engage in oral advocacy, or other forms of expressive or symbolic conduct” within 35-feet of a house of worship an hour before or after a scheduled religious service.

If passed, protesters  would also be prohibited from coming within 10 feet of someone entering or leaving a religious site. Violating the law would be punishable by one year in prison, a $250 fine or both, according to a copy of the bill.

“No one should fear for their safety when they are simply trying to come in or leave a place of worship,” Pilip, a Republican, said at a  legislative committee meeting on Monday.

The bill passed unanimously through the legislature’s public safety committee. A public hearing and final vote will take place on Dec. 17.

The bill "protects both the right to protest and the right to religious freedom,” Pilip continued.

Pilip introduced the bill on the heels of a controversial protest outside the Park East Synagogue in  Manhattan’s Upper East Side last month, she said. Protesters rallied outside the Modern Orthodox congregation on Nov. 20 chanting “death to the I.D.F.” and “globalize the intifada,” according to news reports. About 150 people had gathered at the synagogue to attend an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a group that promotes American Jews to immigrate  to Israel and settlements in the occupied West Bank.

That protest spurred several state lawmakers to introduce a bill similar to Nassau's last week, making it illegal to protest within 25 feet of a place of worship or reproductive health care facility. That bill has not been presented for a vote.

"New York must always be a place where people can both exercise free speech and express their religious identity without fear or intimidation, and that balance broke down outside Park East Synagogue,” Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a sponsor of the bill, wrote in a statement last week.

State Sen. Sam Sutton introduced the bill with Lasher. State Sens. Liz Krueger, Brad Hoylman-Sigal  and Assemblymember Nily Rozic co-sponsored the bill.

Earlier this year, Nassau legislators made it illegal to stand within 15 feet of first responders, aiming to protect them from “threats, harassment and physical interference while on the job," according to the law. Those who don’t follow warnings to step back could face misdemeanor charges punishable by a $1,000 fine, a  year in prison or both.