Police State/Civil Liberties

Anti-Israel protesters with terror group flags could land 4 years behind bars under new NY state bill

Anti-Israel protesters who display the flag of terror groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah could face up to four years behind bars under a new state bill.

The proposed Stand Against Flags of Enemy Terrorists Act would expand the definition of aggravated harassment in the first degree — a class E felony — to include instances when a person displays a symbol of a foreign terrorist organization with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten or another person, according to state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblyman Micah Lasher, Manhattan Democrats who are set to introduce the bill this week.

New York has long recognized there are some symbols that “cross the line” from free speech to fomenting hate and harassment — “and the emblems of mass-murdering terrorist organizations certainly belong in that category,” Lasher told The Post.

Anti-Israel protesters waving a Hamas flag at a demonstration in Times Square on July 31, 2024. William C Lopez/New York Post

State law already criminalizes the display of hate symbols such as swastikas, flaming crosses and nooses.

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Jewish New Yorkers have been harassed or threatened because of their religion and ethnicity particularly after Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas launched its horrific massacre on Israel, sparking a war and violent renewed conflicts with other terrorists such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Anti-Israel protesters in the city have since become infamous for waving, drawing and displaying flags, emblems, logos and other symbols of recognized foreign terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

For example, more than 150 anti-Israel protesters gathered in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on Feb. 23 — and a Hezbollah flag was prominently displayed as the crowd chanted anti-Israel and
antisemitic slogans to honor fallen Hamas leaders instrumental in planning Oct. 7.

A Hezbollah flag being displayed above a picture of Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah at a Washington Square Park protest on Feb. 23, 2025. Emily Goldberg/JNS

“Since the October 7th terror attack in Israel, we’ve witnessed a disturbing rise in antisemitic instances here at home, including using symbols and flags of terrorist organizations to harass and intimidate Jewish New Yorkers at their synagogues, businesses and homes, simply because they’re Jewish,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement.

“No one should be allowed to threaten or harass a New Yorker because they’re Jewish, or any other aspect of their identity protected under state law,” he said.

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