Letter: Utah’s Anti-Masking Bill Wouldn’t Suppress Peaceful Assembly. Its Aim Is Legitimate.
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The Tribune’s March 1 editorial argues that Utah’s proposed HB331 “criminalize[s] public protests” and creates a “double standard” by restricting masks for demonstrators while federal agents may still wear them. That framing misstates both the bill’s content and the legal reality.
HB331 does not suppress peaceful assembly. If it’s enacted, Utahns would remain free to march, chant, leaflet, and petition their government. But people would not be able to conceal their identities in public while engaging in conduct that easily escalates into — and often is designed to create — intimidation and harassment. Anonymity lowers inhibitions and makes it easier for a small number of bad actors to hijack otherwise lawful gatherings, precisely because concealment shields them from accountability.
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Salt Lake Tribune
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Ilya Shapiro is a senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. Tal Fortgang is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He was a 2023 Sapir Fellow
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