Kingston MPs vote on new rules for public online comments following incidents of anti-Semitic and Nazi remarks

KINGSTON, NY – The City Council is considering changing the rules for public comments via Zoom after an online intruder made obscene, anti-Semitic remarks and expressed Nazi sympathies at its June meeting.

City Council President Andrea Shaut said at the City Council's Laws and Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21, that the policy would require those wishing to comment via Zoom to turn on their camera and show their face throughout the comment. The new rules would also require those wishing to comment to register with the City Clerk by noon the day of the City Council meeting, she added.

Shaut believes this will help prevent future incidents by removing the anonymity of those who sign up online.

The City Council's Laws and Rules Committee unanimously approved the new rules by a vote of 4-0. Shaut said if the changes are approved by the full council at the Sept. 10 City Council meeting, they would go into effect in time for the October meeting.

Since the incident in June, public comments via Zoom have been banned.

Michael Tierney, D-Ward 2, asked what would happen if someone tried to dial into the Zoom meeting using a landline phone's dial-in feature. Shaut noted that that person would not be allowed to speak live at the meeting because they could not show their face.

She said they were free to listen, but they had to submit their comments in writing.

Lawmakers also discussed what would happen if someone wore a face covering, such as a face mask, that obscured part of their face.

Tierney noted that the city probably cannot ban masks because it restricts a person's freedom of speech.

Shaut also noted that someone might wear a mask on camera for health reasons, especially if they are joining the conference from a public location such as a library.

Deputy corporate counsel Matthew Jankowski said lawmakers could get around this by requiring only an address and phone number from the person signing up for a call.

Deputy corporate counsel Matthew Jankowski said the rules should also require the person signing up for a call to provide an address and phone number.

Shaut noted that when commenting over Zoom, it may take a few seconds to ensure the person is both in the frame and can be heard clearly, but she does not believe this will have a major impact on the meeting.

Lawmakers agreed that this policy cannot fully guarantee that incidents in which an online participant makes inappropriate and hateful comments will not occur again. Should another incident occur in the future, they may need to review and revise the policy.

In June, the intruders forced lawmakers to quickly end a sometimes heated public comment period at the meeting. Participants were deeply divided over a proposed resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to military aid to Israel.

That evening, another online participant, a local landlord, expressed his opposition to the city's proposed rules for evictions for cause and the ceasefire resolution, then launched into a series of Islamophobic phrases.

Shaut said that evening she had requested that the public comment period be closed when the online participant verbally expressed Nazi sympathies and obscene anti-Semitic views while participants on both sides of the debate watched in horror and shock.

Originally published: 22 August 2024 at 10:00 am

Kingston MPs vote on new rules for public online comments following incidents of anti-Semitic and Nazi remarks – Daily Freeman

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