COLUMBUS, Ohio: "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has warned universities that students arrested during pro-Palestine protests may face felony charges under a 70-year-old law meant to target the Ku Klux Klan. In a letter sent Monday to the state’s public universities, Yost said a 1953 “anti-disguise” law could apply to mask-wearing students protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza. The law makes it a fourth-degree felony for two or more people to commit any crime together “while wearing white caps, masks, or other disguise.”

At least 40 people were arrested during peaceful protests on Ohio State University’s campus in late April, including 18 students. All protesters were charged with criminal trespassing, a low-level misdemeanor. But under his interpretation of the state’s anti-disguise law, Yost said protesters could face up to a year and a half in prison and $5,000 in fines.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of protesters wore face coverings during pro-Palestine protests at Ohio State and other universities, whether they were the black-and-white checkered keffiyehs known as a symbol of Palestinian resistance or blue KN95 face masks."

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/politics/how-a-70-year-old-law-could-apply-to-pro-palestine-protesters-at-ohio-state/