{"id":2198217,"date":"2024-03-13T10:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wearing-masks-at-protests-abdicates-responsibility-and-thats-the-point\/"},"modified":"2024-03-13T10:19:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:19:01","slug":"wearing-masks-at-protests-abdicates-responsibility-and-thats-the-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wearing-masks-at-protests-abdicates-responsibility-and-thats-the-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Mask-wearing at protests avoids responsibility, and that&#8217;s intentional"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwearing-masks-at-protests-abdicates-responsibility-and-thats-the-point%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2198217&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Protesters Hide \u200bBehind \u200dMasks: A Cowardly Act of \u2063Avoiding Accountability<\/h2>\n<p>Following the October \u20647\u200c massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas, college \u200dcampuses and streets \u2064of major US\u2062 cities have been\u2064 filled with rioters chanting anti-Israel slogans and often explicitly demonstrating their \u200cfealty to Hamas. As is clear from\u200b numerous photographs, most of these \u200cprotestors conceal their faces.<\/p>\n<p>This is true even of less violent\u2063 protests. One \u2064example is the 100-plus \u200ccongressional staffers who <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/4300664-congressional-staffers-hold-vigil-ceasefire-capitol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">staged a\u200c walkout<\/a> on \u200dCapitol Hill, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Photos \u2063show\u2064 that nearly all \u2064the staffers were wearing medical face \u2064masks. Presumably, when defying \u200bthe will of your boss, and \u200dthe people who elected him or \u2064her, it\u2019s best to remain anonymous. And the cowardice extends beyond Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2023\/10\/20\/daily-signal-reporters-capture-stark-differences-between-pro-israel-pro-palestine-protests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According<\/a> \u200c to\u200d coverage from the Daily Signal, many \u2064participants at a George Washington University Vigil for the Martyrs of Palestine\u201d covered their faces. Daily Signal Reporter \u2062Mary Margaret \u2063Olohan was given a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/tag\/masks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">face \u200bmask<\/a> and told to wear one by the pro-Palestine participants\u200d so \u201cthey\u201d wouldn\u2019t \u2062identify her later in pictures.\u201d It\u2019s unclear who \u201cthey\u201d\u2062 is and even more unclear what the result\u200d would be\u200d of being identified, \u2062but the fact remains \u200bthat \u200bpro-Palestine protesters hide behind masks.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This gathering took \u200dplace less than 1 mile from \u2062the \u200bWhite House. \u200dThanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MaryMargOlohan<\/a> \u200d and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/christianlasval?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@christianlasval<\/a> \u200b for \u2062documenting for the world\u2062 to see. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JRmrWjFXTM\">https:\/\/t.co\/JRmrWjFXTM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u200b Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RobertBluey\/status\/1712178309608378450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But when looking at\u200d the history of mask bans, crime, and even France\u2019s so-called \u201cburqa ban,\u201d it begins to make sense.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the COVID-19 virus, \u200dmany cities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/best-states\/articles\/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">required<\/span><\/a>  that individuals cover their faces when in a building or \u2064in close proximity to other people. People disagreed over the effectiveness of this strategy, \u200dbut\u2064 even \u2063if these measures were justified, most people are now delighted to go\u200d back to semi-normal, maskless life. That \u2063is, \u2064except, for those \u200dprotesting in favor of Hamas, a US \u200cState Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/foreign-terrorist-organizations\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">designated terror group<\/span><\/a>.\u2064 To understand, it helps to look at \u200cthe history of masking and its connection \u200bto crime.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200c2019 the American Civil Liberties \u200bUnion (ACLU) published \u201cAmerica\u2019s Mask Bans in the\u200b Age of Face Recognition Surveillance\u201d denouncing mask <i>bans.\u200b <\/i>Mask bans in the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/05\/us\/mask-mandate-kkk-coronavirus-pandemic.html\">date<\/a> back to New York in 1845 when they were enacted to \u2062quell violence between renters and landlords.\u2064 Later, mask bans were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.splcenter.org\/fighting-hate\/intelligence-report\/1999\/unmasking-klan\">enacted<\/a> in states Florida, Alabama,\u200c West Virginia, and some other southern states in an attempt to\u2063 stymie the\u200d Ku Klux Klan and make\u2064 it easier for police\u2064 and civilians to identify Klan members and their\u200b supporters. Most of these mask mandates, <a href=\"https:\/\/firstamendment.mtsu.edu\/article\/anti-mask-laws\/\">according<\/a> to Middle Tennessee State University\u2019s \u200bFree Speech Center, \u201c\u2026use \u200bneutral \u200blanguage, typically\u200c banning \u2062mask wearing that intimidates others.\u201d The \u2064key is that these \u2062bans were enacted to <i>deter <\/i>criminal activity and stop giving criminals the legal right to hide their identity when terrorizing blacks and Catholics.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLU report,\u200d however, asserts that \u200cthe actual\u2062 reason\u2063 for mask bans was that political leaders\u2062 \u201cfelt that violent\u2063 racist terrorism was making\u200c them look bad.\u201d\u2062 The report goes on\u200b to \u200bsay that mask bans are an invasion of privacy, especially in our modern \u200dera of facial-recognition\u200b software and smartphones. In other words, in 2019, before the\u200b COVID lockdowns and mask mandates, the ACLU had an\u2062 ax to grind against mask bans because mask\u2063 bans help police \u2063catch criminals.<\/p>\n<p>But anti-mask-ban \u200drhetoric goes beyond the complaints that people might get caught committing crimes. Some\u2063 alleged that mask \u200bbans, much like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/modern-mathematics-confronts-its-white-patriarchal-past\/\">math<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2015\/11\/03\/454316172\/why-the-history-of-american-white-bread-is-anything-but-bland\">sandwich bread<\/a>, are racist.<\/p>\n<p>A\u2064 June\u200c 2023 article in\u2063 The Trace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrace.org\/newsletter\/ski-mask-ban-racism-policing-fashion\/\">states<\/a>, \u2063\u201cPhiladelphia is\u200c considering a \u2063ban on ski masks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/march-for-our-lives-issue-biden-1-billion-list-of-gun-control-policy-demands\/\" title=\"March For Our Lives Issue Biden  Billion List Of Gun Control Policy Demands\">reduce gun violence<\/a>. \u200cIt\u2019s reminiscent of other policies that criminalize \u2062Black fashion.\u201d\u200c Given that\u2064 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/news\/2023\/01\/17\/black-people-rarely-hit-the-ski-slopes-but-those-who-love-winter-sports-are-working-to-change-that#:~:text=It's%20true%20that%20Black%20skiers,changed%20over%20the%20past%20decade.\">mere 1.5%<\/a> \u2064 of those hitting the slopes in 2021-2022 were \u2062Black, this is a \u2063strange way to characterize the ski\u2064 mask. The article ignores the fact that the\u200b original purpose of mask bans was\u2063 to\u200b ensure \u200bthat\u2062 Klan\u2062 members could not hide from\u2062 the\u2063 law.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, not all criminals wear masks, and not all masked people are criminals. But the \u200bpoint stands that wearing\u200d a mask while\u2062 protesting in support\u2064 of \u2064vile ideas\u2064 or while committing a crime\u200c serves no purpose other than hiding one\u2019s \u2064identity\u2063 to avoid accountability.<\/p>\n<p>In \u20622020, mask mandates were au courant, and rioters at \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/media\/513902-cnn-ridiculed-for-fiery-but-mostly-peaceful-caption-with-video-of-burning\/\">Fiery \u200cBut Mostly Peaceful<\/a>\u201d protests <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/health\/after-months-of-pleading-for-coronavirus-social-distancing-health-officials-supportive-of-protests-black-lives-matter-calls-them-too-dangerous\/\">hid<\/a> their \u200bfaces \u200cas they rioted, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2020\/06\/why-people-loot\/612577\/\">looted<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/minnesotareformer.com\/2021\/05\/27\/one-year-later-few-charges-for-the-arson-and-destruction\/\">burned<\/a> \u200d down buildings. And the cowardice\u2063 continues today \u200cwith protestors\u200b in Western cities \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/10\/13\/israel-palestinian-colleges-hamas-rallies\/\">screaming<\/a> \u201cfrom the river to the \u2063sea\u201d (a chant meaning that from the Mediterranean Sea \u2063to the Jordan\u200c River, \u2064Israel should not exist) and physically assaulting Jews. Thanks\u200b to \u2062COVID-19 popularizing \u2064face masks, protesters today hide their faces, thereby making \u200dit \u2063difficult to\u2063 identify and prosecute them, as they\u200c scream antisemitic slurs that would make \u200ba \u200bGrand\u200b Wizard blush \u2063(if you could see his\u2062 face). And \u2064that is the point: pro-Hamas \u200cprotestors wear masks to avoid \u200baccountability.<\/p>\n<p>Not only \u200dis \u200bhiding one\u2019s face bad \u200dfor identifying criminals, it is also bad for civil \u200bsociety. Lawmakers in my home, France, \u2062agree.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iwf.org\/2010\/09\/15\/french-burqa-ban-passes-upper-house\/\">Since 2010<\/a> France has\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-66634890\">banned<\/a> wearing full face veils, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/newsround\/24118241\">niqab and burqa<\/a>, \u2063in public\u2014a \u2064measure misleadingly referred to as \u2063the \u201cburqa ban.\u201d The law applies equally to people of all religions, ethnicities, and\u200b nationalities who wish to cover their face in\u200d a \u2062public or government building, and it remains perfectly legal to wear a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/newsround\/24118241\">hijab or\u200b shayla<\/a> in public, as many \u2063Muslim women in\u200b France do. France \u200bbanned face-coverings because lawmakers believed that\u2062 they impeded \u201cvivre ensemble,\u201d or \u2062citizens\u2019 ability to peacefully coexist and participate fully in French society. And the \u200cnotion that face covering \u200bimpedes a healthy society is grounded in solid research.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers at \u2062UC Berkeley and Google <a href=\"https:\/\/greatergood.berkeley.edu\/article\/item\/are_facial_expressions_the_same_around_the_world\">compared<\/a> \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/walsh-aoc-dismissed-the-suffering-of-riot-victims-but-now-wants-us-to-have-sympathy-for-her\/\" title=\"WALSH: AOC Dismissed The Suffering Of Riot Victims But Now Wants Us To Have Sympathy For Her\">facial expressions<\/a> across 144 \u2064countries and discovered that\u2064 \u201cpeople around the world tended to gaze in awe during fireworks displays, \u2063show contentment at weddings, furrow their brows in concentration when performing martial arts, show doubt\u200c at protests, pain when lifting\u200b weights, and triumph \u200dat rock concerts and competitive sporting events.\u201d The data are \u2064clear\u2014human beings from a tender age communicate with our \u200dfaces just as \u200cmuch as our\u200d words. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/3997585\/\">According<\/a> to a National Institute of Health (NIH)\u2064 study, \u201cEven newborns show clear evidence \u2063of organized facial expressions defining distinct \u200ccommunicative states that respond to maternal\u2062 care.\u201d Facial \u200bcoverings stymie communication \u2064and interpreting emotions\u2014two \u2062things\u2063 that drive\u2064 human interaction.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Emmanuel Levinas, a French \u200bphilosopher, once <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wisela.org\/daily-kavanah-wednesday-june-10\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, \u201cThe face speaks to me and\u200c thereby invites me to a\u200b relation; \u200d\u2026 \u200cthe face opens the primordial discourse whose first word is obligation.\u201d To \u2064put this\u2063 in context, \u200cmuch of Levinas\u2019s philosophy is rooted in what\u2062 it means to encounter, \u200dor\u200d relate to other\u2062 people. Seeing another person\u2019s face calls upon\u200b us \u200cto be responsible \u200bto one another as human beings. It stands to reason that hiding one\u2019s face is an attempt to abdicate one\u2019s responsibility to others and to society.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Klan used masks to terrorize \u200dinnocent people in the 1920s, as pro-Palestinian and BLM\u2062 activists do today. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Of\u2063 course, people should be allowed\u2062 to demonstrate\u200b in favor of unpopular or even contemptible ideas\u2063 without fear of reprisal. But they shouldn\u2019t be allowed to engage in criminal behavior\u2014or to mask themselves to get away with it.\u2064 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It \u2063shouldn\u2019t be too much to ask that they \u2064have\u2064 the courage\u200b to stand up, unmasked for what they believe in. And like everyone else, they must face \u200bresponsibility for their \u2062actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>* * \u200d*<\/p>\n<div><em>Ellie Krasne-Cohen is a visiting fellow at Independent Women\u2019s \u2063Forum and founder of Krasne \u200bStrategies. She is \u2063a member of the National Association of Scholars.<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>The views expressed \u200cin this piece are those of the author and\u200d do not necessarily represent those of The Daily \u2062Wire.<\/em><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the implications of wearing \u200bmasks during protests and the impact on transparency, dialogue, and accountability in a democratic society<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Titutes of Health study, facial expressions are an essential component of human communication, influencing social interactions and emotional understanding. When people hide their faces behind\u2064 masks, they hinder this\u200c fundamental aspect of communication, making it difficult for others to\u200b gauge their intentions and emotions.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the act of hiding one&#8217;s face behind a mask while participating in protests \u2063or engaging in criminal activities reflects \u200ba lack of accountability. It allows individuals to escape the consequences of their \u200dactions and avoid being identified and held responsible for their \u2064behavior. Accountability\u200d is \u200da\u2063 crucial element of a functioning society, as it maintains order, justice, and respect for\u200d the rule of \u200blaw.<\/p>\n<p>Protesters who wear masks\u200b to conceal their identities may argue that it is an act of self-preservation and protection from potential retaliation. However, participating in a protest or expressing one&#8217;s opinions \u2063should not \u2063require anonymity. It is not a sign of courage \u200bor conviction to hide behind a \u2063mask but rather an embodiment \u2063of cowardice and evasion of \u200dresponsibility.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, the use of \u200dmasks has become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-announces-plan-to-sell-fewest-oil-and-gas-lease-sales-in-history\/\" title=\"Biden plans to have the fewest oil and gas lease sales ever.\">contentious \u2062issue due<\/a> to its association with various movements and causes. While masks have become a common sight during the COVID-19 pandemic for health and safety reasons, their use in certain settings, such as protests,\u2063 raises concerns about the intentions and \u2064actions of those wearing \u200dthem.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, mask bans have been enacted \u200bto deter criminal\u200c activity and ensure public safety.\u200c In the fight against the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups, mask \u200cbans\u2062 were implemented to prevent individuals from \u200chiding their identities while committing acts of \u2064terror and intimidation. They served as a means to protect communities and promote \u200daccountability.<\/p>\n<p>Wearing a mask while \u2064protesting in \u200csupport of controversial or extremist ideas only perpetuates a culture of fear, intimidation, and violence. When masks are used to obscure one&#8217;s identity and shield individuals from the consequences\u200b of their\u200c actions, it \u2062undermines the principles of transparency, dialogue, and debate that are essential in a democratic society.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u200d the act of \u200cprotesters hiding behind masks reflects a cowardly act of avoiding accountability. It hinders communication, undermines transparency, and perpetuates a culture\u2062 of fear and intimidation. Accountability is the foundation\u2063 of a just and orderly \u2064society, and \u2064it should be\u200c upheld by all individuals, regardless of their beliefs or causes. \u2064Only by taking responsibility for our actions can we \u200dfoster a society that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marjorie-taylor-greene-hits-house-gops-who-voted-against-mayorkas-impeachment-resolution\/\" title=\"Marjorie Taylor Greene hits House GOPs who voted against Mayorkas impeachment resolution\">values open dialogue<\/a>, respect for the rule of law, and the pursuit of justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the Hamas attack on October 7, US college campuses and major city streets witnessed rioters chanting anti-Israel slogans, openly supporting Hamas. Many protesters, including those in non-violent demonstrations, concealed their faces, as seen in numerous photographs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2968,"featured_media":2198218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1795529053.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2198217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1795529053.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2968"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2198217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2198218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2198217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2198217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2198217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}