CINCINNATI — A bill making its way through the Ohio legislature would create stiffer penalties for those who intentionally disrupt a religious service.
The current penalty for disrupting service is a fourth-degree misdemeanor and a fine of up to $250, but lawmakers want to increase it to a first-degree misdemeanor, which includes fines up to $1,000 and a maximum of six months in jail. HB 504 has bipartisan support, with Ohio House lawmakers approving the measure 95-1.
During the pandemic, some religious groups chose not to make the links to their online services public because anyone — including total strangers — would have access to the meeting. Unfortunately, some with the worst intentions ended up hijacking religious services.
Rabbi Ari Ballaban, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Cincinnati described what happened to him and others during a Jewish religious meeting last year.
"It's hard to imagine being in a Jewish religious base when suddenly you have people show up and start chanting Nazi propaganda, shouting racial slurs, showing pornography," Ballaban said. "To suddenly have people shouting racist slurs ... it's hard to come back from that."
Ohio Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Chillicothe, said the hijackers show "some people are lacking respect and dignity and honor."
It wasn't just the Jewish community that became targets of racist attacks and harassment. Johnson said Saint Joseph Catholic Cathedral in Columbus also had protestors show up in the middle of one mass, interrupt, get physical with some people and refuse to leave.
"Columbus Police ultimately had to come and clear them out and what they got was a $200 fine," said Johnson.
68 House members are co-sponsoring the bill. Right now, the bill is in Senate committee and had two hearings. Johnson said the bill could go to the Senate floor within the next two weeks.
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