'Double quarantine standards': Jews sued New York authorities

Catholic priests and orthodox Jews have pointed to "egregious double standards" on the part of New York authorities. They demand an end to discrimination and intimidation of believers. This publication writes Fox News.

Three Orthodox Jews from Brooklyn and two Catholic priests filed a joint lawsuit against State Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Their interests are represented by The Thomas More Society, a conservative law firm advocating for the protection of life.

They accuse New York authorities of using a “blatant double standard” of banning religious services, while protesters are allowed to rally in America after the death of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd.

"Why is a large worship meeting considered more dangerous than a mass protest full of shouting and waving hands from people in close proximity to each other?" - said in a statement by Thomas More Society special adviser Christopher Ferrara.

Ferrara added that the orders for both the emergency stay at home and the plan to resume work "clearly discriminate against houses of worship." “They are elaborate, arbitrary and pseudoscientific,” Ferrara said.

The lawsuit also refers to the incident that occurred on June 4. On that day, the mayor of Bill de Blasio himself, ignoring the rules of social distance and the requirement to wear a protective mask, spoke at a mass political meeting in Cadman Plaza.

And a few days later, police drove Hasid children out of a park in Williamsburg due to the fact that their number exceeded 10 people.

In April, de Blasio threatened the Jewish community with arrest and prosecution for “illegal” mass religious gatherings after police in Williamsburg broke up the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Merz.

“My message to the Jewish community, as to all communities, is very simple: the time of warnings is over,” de Blasio wrote on Twitter at the time. “I have instructed the NYPD to immediately begin recruiting or even arresting those who gather in large groups. It's about stopping this disease and saving lives. Point".

On the subject: New York police dispersed the rabbi’s funeral: what does the mayor have to do with it and why is the public angry

And recently, New York theaters, which were supposed to remain closed until the fourth phase of the Cuomo plan, opened their doors to protesters. Meeting participants can now use these facilities for relaxing, using Wi-Fi and visiting latrines. Police are forbidden to go inside.

The Thomas More Society provided examples on several occasions to flesh out the mayor's actions on alleged discrimination. “It's time to end the New York experiment with absolute monarchy,” Ferrara said. "We ask the court to put an end to these unconstitutional executive orders and to issue a temporary restraining order against their biased execution."

On June 5, Cuomo announced that he “weakened” the decrees on social distance to “allow” religious meetings in some regions, provided that the occupancy rate in prayer houses did not exceed 25%.

Recall that recently police shut down a Hasidic school in Brooklyn. Classes at the educational institution were resumed despite the fact that all schools and colleges in the region were closed until the end of the school year.