(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday vetoed a controversial bill that would have required the NYPD to establish anti-protest “buffer zones” around colleges and universities.
Mamdani said a major concern with the legislation is “how widely this bill defines an educational institution and the constitutional concerns it raises regarding New Yorkers’ fundamental right to protest.” He said the bill has also “alarmed much of the labor movement, reproductive rights groups, and immigration advocates and others” about the impact of the proposed restrictions “on their ability to organize.”
“This could impact workers protesting ICE, or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights,” he said in a statement.
But Mamdani allowed a related bill that would create buffer zones around churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship to go into law without his signature on Friday.
He said changes to the bill before the City Council approved it resolved concerns he had about the constitutionality of the proposal, even though he doesn’t agree with its intent.
“Following a thorough legal review, I do not believe it poses the same risks it once did, and that is why I will allow it to become law,” he said. “That said, I disagree with its framing of all protest as a security concern.”
The bills, which were approved by the Democratic-controlled City Council in March, called for authorizing the New York City Police Department to look at creating buffer zones around synagogues, churches, and other houses of worship, as well as colleges and universities, during demonstrations. New York was the epicenter for protests over Israel’s war against Hamas, drawing scrutiny from the Trump administration.
But Mamdani’s veto of the school buffer zone is seen as a snub to City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who pushed both bills through the council in response to an uptick in hate crimes in New York City, much of it targeting Jewish residents.
The legislation — along with a similar, statewide plan pitched by Gov. Kathy Hochul — faced fierce opposition from civil liberties groups who criticized the proposed buffer zone as unconstitutional.
But religious groups praised the package of bills, saying they strike a balance between protecting constitutional rights to free speech and protecting worshipers from threats and intimidation from demonstrators.
In a statement, a coalition of Jewish groups including the Anti-Defamation League of New York, UJA-Federation of New York and others said they were “deeply disappointed” by Mamdani’s veto. The groups said the legislation was “a crucial step toward ensuring that every school and community institution can be better protected” at a time when “Jewish and other communities across our city are facing heighted threats.”
“Measures like these importantly safeguard institutions against real and growing threats while maintaining people’s right to protest. Actions speak louder than words,” the groups said. “This veto is a profound failure of City Hall to demonstrate to all New Yorkers that our safety is a priority.”
