US Congress members on Thursday announced legislation that aims to create buffer zones around synagogues and other houses of worship to protect worshippers from protests.

The legislation came after vitriolic anti-Zionist protests at synagogues around the US and after similar legislative efforts in American states and cities.

The so-called buffer zone bills are generally opposed by progressive groups due to perceived threats to free speech.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the “Right to Worship Act” to the US Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday.

The legislation, if passed, would create a 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship where protests would not be allowed during scheduled religious services.

The bill would make it “unlawful to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending” services, US Representative Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat from New York who sponsored the House bill, said in a statement.

The other sponsors are US Representative Brad Knott, a North Carolina Republican, and Senators Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan.

The bill’s text says it would bar........

© The Times of Israel