House majority leader William Lambers sponsored a resolution in 2024 denounced neo-Nazis who marched through downtown Nashville with Swastika flags and masks. With the 2025 legislative meeting approaching on January 14th, Lambers, a Portland Republican from Lebanon, sponsors House Bill 55. Reduce hate speech and threats.

The group handed out anti-Semitic literature to members of the Nashville Synagogue and held signs on the elevated tracks promoting hateful messages.

“These tactics are intentional efforts to terrorize people and cause deep distress,” Lambers said in a statement. He added that those who committed the crime should be held responsible “often anonymously.”

Podi, who represents parts of Davidson County, said the bill represents the state’s “unwavering commitment” to protect its communities from anti-Semitism, intimidation and extremism.

Called to protect everyone from Crime and Extremist Act (Peace) Act, the bill sets new restrictions on trash and trespassing to prevent hate groups from flooding their neighborhoods and parking lots with flyers. .

Lamberth said the bill is “carefully crafted” and avoids widespread interpretation issues and the possibility that police will crack down on rallies and protests that do not involve hate speech.

The Metronashville Council passed an ordinance targeting hate groups after a march in Nashville last year, and Mayor Fredio Connell said in a statement that he stopped such threats and told law enforcement that the situation was met with. He said he appreciated the efforts to give more tools to handle.

“It sends a message here that hateful behavior is never tolerated,” O’Connell said.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 122 cases in 2023 motivated by bias in 2023, including bias, including bias, religion, sexuality and disability. This was a slight decrease from 129 in 2022 and 135 in 2021. The report will appear.

State Senator John Ray Clemons of Nashville said he feels that too many people, including his family, are victims of the type of hate speech the bill is trying to prevent, so he is the law. He said he is grateful for the spirit of However, Clemons showed that this scale may require changes.

“I want to work with sponsors to ensure that the final form of law is constitutionally sound and that it states and achieves its intended purpose,” said the House Democrat Caucus Chairman. Clemons said.

With this measure, it is not possible to distribute literature that is considered a form of relevant speech, and to place literature that threatens someone to prevent the exercise of constitutional rights such as religious freedom and the ability to vote, among other things. It’s a misdemeanor.

The bill also gives law enforcement officials more room for enforcement.

For two weeks in a row, the Neo-Nazis will take you to Nashville Street.

Create a 25-foot buffer zone between officers and those ordered to halt, making it a Class B misdemeanor for violating that space.

The bill also requires officers who ask them to give their name to them, and would make it a Class C misdemeanor to refuse or give them a false name.

Using box trucks to transport people is a Class B misdemeanor under the bill. At least one group used rental trucks to take members into town for a gathering.

Similarly, the bill would make it illegal to place signs, signals or markings on bridges, overpasses, or tunnels.

Additionally, police were able to use “probable causes” to claim someone violate the law, whether they saw the person committing the act or not.

Paulson said that most controversies have two perspectives, and that each side believes they hate each other.

The government can ban all messy banners and banners hanging from the overpass, but cannot ban only the literature and flags they consider as hatred, Paulson said.

“If you ban Nazi brochures, you must ban pizza joints that give coupons in public places. You cannot discriminate based on an idea,” he said.