New York State passes ban on swastikas and other neo-Nazi imagery on public property

New York State has passed a ban on the selling or displaying of hate symbols, including swastikas and other neo-Nazi imagery, on public property.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the legislation after being introduced last year when Confederate flags were displayed from a Long Island fire truck and fire department window. 

Examples of hate symbols within the bill include symbols of white supremacy, neo-Nazi ideology or the Battle Flag of the Confederacy. The ban does not extend to symbols that serve an “educational or historical purpose,” for example those found in a museum or book. 

“Public property” is reportedly defined as a school district, a fire district, volunteer fire company or police department and taxpayer-funded equipment.

State Sen. Anna M. Kaplan said: “Public property belongs to all of us, and this measure is critical to ensure that our public property isn’t being used to promote hatred. You would think it was common sense that taxpayer-owned property couldn’t be used as a platform for hate, but shockingly there was no law on the books saying so — until now.”

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