Legislation that increases the maximum prison sentence for those participating in a riot and imposes a mandatory minimum penalty for anyone who engages in or supports an act of violence as part of a riot was unveiled Wednesday by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
Cotton’s "Stop Pro-Terrorist 4 Riots Now Act" comes in the wake of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, some violent, that have sprouted since Iranian-backed Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel and the Israeli military’s retaliation in the Gaza Strip.
"Radical, pro-Hamas mobs committing crimes and perpetrating violence should face the full extent of the law," Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services, Judiciary, and Intelligence committees said in a news release. "No one has the right to commit violence in support of terrorism. This bill is necessary to ensure that we reject antisemitism and hold these pro-Hamas criminals accountable."
Cotton’s bill increases the maximum punishment for participating in a riot from five years to 10 years and creates a mandatory one-year minimum penalty for anyone who either engages in or supports an act of violence as part of a riot.
Cotton’s office said in the news release that violence at such riots aren’t accidents and are the defining feature of modern leftist ideology.
In November, six U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured during protests in front of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. On Feb. 27, police at the University of California-Berkeley evacuated a private event organized by Jewish student groups after pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke open a door to the building and shattered a window.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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