Ohio AG warns masked student protesters could face charges under anti-KKK law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks during an election night watch party, Nov. 8, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost informed the state's public universities that masked student protesters are potentially in violation of a law written to crack down on KKK demonstrations.

In a letter sent Monday, following weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations where masked protesters have chanted antisemitic slogans and threatened Jewish students, Yost advised the presidents of Ohio's 34 public, four-year universities to forewarn students about the 1953 law.

“In our society, there are few more significant career-wreckers than a felony charge,” the letter said. “I write to you today to inform your student bodies of an Ohio law that, in the context of some behavior during the recent pro-Palestinian protests, could have that effect.”

The law is contained in a single sentence: “No person shall unite with two or more others to commit a misdemeanor while wearing white caps, masks, or other disguise.” Violating this “anti-disguise” law is punishable by a fourth-degree felony charge, up to $5,000 in fines and five years on community control, Yost wrote.

Yost, a potential Republican candidate for governor in 2026, urged students to protest "within the bounds of the law," not to commit crimes, not to use the First Amendment as "a sword against fellow students," and to "own their advocacy and avoid wearing masks."