Mayor Bill de Blasio came under fire after a controversial tweet Tuesday night. Image by Getty

By Aiden Pink June 2, 2020

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he still supported quarantine measures that limited attendance at houses of worship to 10, even as he supported mass protests in the city against police brutality.

While appearing at a virtual press conference, de Blasio was asked by a reporter for the Jewish outlet Hamodia about what the reporter saw as an inconsistency between his support for the protests and his opposition to opening up synagogues or shops. “What about the retail store owner facing imminent financial ruin or the religious person who cannot appear in their house of worship?” the reporter asked, adding, “Do we have one set of rules for protesters and another for everyone else?”

De Blasio responded with umbrage, saying that anyone thinking there are two rules “is not trying very hard to see the reality.” He added that the anguish over shopkeepers’ economic instability or parishioners’ inability to gather together en masse was not in the same league as protesting prejudice.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“400 years of American racism, I’m sorry, that is not the same question as the understandably aggrieved store owner or the devout religious person who wants to go back to services,” he said.

The remarks were harshly criticized on social media.

What @NYCMayor?!?
You’re 100% wrong.

Sure, protesters have the right under the first amendment to march against racism, which needs to be confronted head on in this country, but the same first amendment guarantees religious people the right to practice their faith. https://t.co/iBiJqkmrXu

— Simcha Eichenstein (@SEichenstein) June 2, 2020

This position from de Blasio is unconstitutional and illegal. You can’t as Mayor pick and choose which lawful gatherings can happen and which cannot based on your political or personal preferences. De Blasio needs to resign or otherwise be removed – immediately. https://t.co/dZF0faAcO9

— Boris Ryvkin (@BRyvkin) June 2, 2020

Literally insane since freedom of religion and freedom of association/assembly are wrapped up IN THE SAME CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bill De Blasio is THE WORST POLITICIAN IN AMERICA BAR NONE. https://t.co/lmh3EDPT6k

— Liz Mair (@LizMair) June 2, 2020

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 22.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount