Protesters who cover their faces could spend more than a decade in prison under an anti-anti-fascist bill by House Republicans.
The “Unmasking Antifa Act,” introduced last month by Rep. Dan Donovan of New York, would impose harsh penalties on anyone who “injures, oppresses, threatens, or intimidates any person” while wearing a mask or disguise. The legislation, which could send people to prison for up to 15 years, mirrors controversial state laws originally designed at cracking down on the Ku Klux Klan. But unlike those state laws, Donovan’s bill is a direct shot at leftist protesters. And it might be unconstitutional, experts say.