Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost shas advised the state's public universities that a law written to deter Ku Klux Klan demonstrations could be used to impose felony charges on students who wear face coverings while protesting the war in Gaza.
The law is contained in a single sentence: “No person shall unite with two or more others to commit a misdemeanour while wearing white caps, masks, or other disguise.” Violating this “anti-disguise” law is punishable by a fourth-degree felony charge, up to $5,000 in fines and five years on community control, Yost wrote.
Among Ohio’s 34 public universities are Kent State, whose name is synonymous with clashes between Vietnam War protesters and National Guard members that left four dead in 1970, and Ohio State – a site of several protests in recent weeks where dozens have been arrested, most for criminal trespass.