Lawyer for keffiyeh-wearing, pro-Palestinian protester questions arrest under local face mask ban

Associated Press

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — A lawyer for a pro-Palestinian protester charged with violating a New York county’s face mask ban for wearing a keffiyeh scarf is questioning whether the arrest was justified. Geoffrey Stewart said Wednesday that his client, Xavier Roa, was merely exercising his constitutionally protected free speech rights as he led others in protest chants outside an orthodox synagogue last month. Stewart made the comments after Roa pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Hempstead. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly’s office declined to comment. The 26-year-old faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.