New Federal Crime for Masked Protesters: Up to 15 Years for 'Intimidating' Others While Disguised

The “Unmasking Hamas Act of 2025” is a direct response to the recent wave of disruptive, often masked, protests on college campuses and in public spaces. The bill doesn't just address property damage; it creates two powerful new federal penalties designed to target people who wear disguises—like masks—while engaging in certain activities. Congress is framing this as a necessary step to curb violence, antisemitism, and the disruption of education, citing specific incidents involving masked individuals vandalizing property and making anonymous threats.

The New Federal Crime: Interfering While Disguised

Section 3 of this bill introduces a serious new federal crime: Interfering with protected rights while in disguise. Here’s the breakdown: If you, while wearing a disguise like a mask, injure, threaten, intimidate, or oppress another person who is trying to exercise a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or federal law, you could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine, or both. Think of a masked counter-protestor blocking the entrance to a polling place or aggressively shouting down someone trying to hold a peaceful rally. The bill is clear that the trigger for this massive penalty is the combination of interfering with someone's rights while intentionally hiding your identity.

This provision has a catch that’s worth noting: It explicitly exempts law enforcement officers who are lawfully performing their duties, even if they are in disguise. So, if an undercover officer is wearing a mask as part of a sting operation, they are protected, but the average citizen wearing a mask at a protest is not.

The Penalty Hike for Property Damage

Section 4 focuses on property destruction, particularly on federal land—what the law calls “special maritime and territorial jurisdiction.” If someone commits the crime of destroying federal property (like a military base or a national park building) and they are wearing a mask while doing it, they automatically get a mandatory two-year addition to their prison sentence. This isn't optional; it's stacked on top of whatever sentence they get for the vandalism itself. For someone who might be facing a year for spray-painting federal property, this bill mandates that their sentence becomes three years, simply because they were masked.

The Real-World Impact on Everyday People

For most people, the main concern here is how broadly that Section 3 language—specifically "intimidates, or oppresses"—could be interpreted. The bill is motivated by specific political protests, but the language is not limited to them. Imagine you’re at a lawful protest, wearing a mask for anonymity or even for health reasons, and you get into a heated verbal exchange with a counter-protester. If law enforcement determines your actions “intimidated” the other person from exercising their right to speak, you could be facing a 15-year federal charge. This is a massive hammer for what could be a relatively minor confrontation.

For those who participate in political demonstrations, this bill raises the stakes considerably. Anonymity is often a key protection for protestors—whether they are concerned about employer retaliation, online harassment, or simply wanting to separate their professional life from their activism. By linking the act of wearing a mask to such severe federal penalties, the law creates a powerful chilling effect that might discourage people from showing up at all, even for constitutionally protected speech. The trade-off here is clear: greater accountability for those who commit crimes while masked, versus a significant potential restriction on the ability of ordinary citizens to protest anonymously.