“The First Amendment’s protections do not require that the government ignore reality and common sense,” a lawyer for the state wrote in a court filing on Friday. He could face additional charges if surveillance footage shows that he took part in the assault directly, the official said. On Friday night, the neighborhood’s streets were quiet. Around the corner from one synagogue, Congregation Shomrei Shabbos Anshei Sfard, a group of perhaps 10 men — none wearing masks — could be seen through the doorway of a sukkah standing close together near a table with open prayer books. At one point, the sound of singing was audible but faint from inside the building.

Source: New York Times October 09, 2020 20:05 UTC