Bill > A00857

This bill establishes three new criminal offenses related to assaulting protesters: assault of a protester in the first, second, and third degrees. These offenses apply when a person intentionally causes physical injury to someone engaged in peaceful protest activities (defined as peaceful picketing or demonstrations protected by federal and state constitutions). The severity of the offense escalates based on the intent and means of causing injury: third-degree assault is a class E felony involving intent to cause physical injury, second-degree assault is a class C felony that either involves intent to cause serious physical injury or uses a deadly weapon, and first-degree assault is a class B felony that involves causing serious injury with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. The bill also modifies existing law to classify these new offenses as violent felonies and mandates that sentences for first-degree assault of a protester must run consecutively to any existing imprisonment terms. This legislation appears designed to provide additional legal protections for protesters by creating specific criminal charges that address violence against individuals exercising their constitutional right to peaceful demonstration.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A857