Hong Kong’s embattled top official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, invoked colonial-era emergency regulations Friday to announce a ban on the wearing of face masks at unauthorized assemblies and other gatherings. Those violating the ban are liable to imprisonment for a year.
The move is intended to curtail the months of anti-government protests that have rocked the former British possession and injured more than 1,100 people. But it may instead exacerbate tensions, with activists vowing to continue to defy the government.
Speaking to a tense gathering of media in front of a screen that read “Treasure Hong Kong, End Violence,” Lam said the ban would come into effect on Oct. 5. “Why do we need to have this? Because, in the past four months, we’ve seen that almost all protestors who carry out vandalism and violence cover their faces,” she said.
“The purpose is to hide their identity and evade the law and they have become more and more daring. We believe the prohibition on face covering will be an effective deterrent on radical behavior and help police in regulating the law.”
Although she was invoking emergency powers to impose the ban, Lam insisted that “Hong Kong is not in a state of emergency.”
Appearing alongside Lam, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng said the restriction “would not undermine the essence of freedom of speech or expression, because [citizens] can still freely and lawfully take part in peaceful events without the use of facial coverings.”
Asked if she would consider imposing more measures under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, Lam said “The situation is a fluid and evolving one” and “If the situation continues to worsen we will identify other means.”
Speaking at the same press conference, Secretary for Security John Lee said that the ban did not apply to police, who have already been accused of concealing their identities by removing their identification numbers from their uniforms. His disclosure caused an outburst of anger among reporters present, with one telling the official to “eat s–t.”
Activists have announced their intention to file judicial challenges to the measure.
Tweeting just before the ban was announced, prominent campaigner Joshua Wong announced that it was “just the beginning” of draconian measures to come.
Democratic lawmaker Claudia Mo tweeted that the ban was “probably the biggest Hong Kong sellout ever.”
Protesters infuriated
Even before Lam announced the ban, protesters began gathering in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district, occupying a key intersection and chanting slogans of the enclave’s fourth-month-old democratic rebellion.
By 4:30 p.m. local time, the crowds in the Central district had swelled considerably, and included suited office workers as well as high school students in uniform shouting “Hongkongers resist!” Activists worked their way through the throng asking “Anyone need a mask?” and handing them out.
“I just can’t express how furious I am. I feel desperate,” a 28-year-old protester called John told TIME. “They have set up a facial recognition system on the lamps here so if they force us to take off our masks they will know who are the protesters.”
The ban comes after Hong Kong’s worst spell of unrest in more than 50 years. Over the weekend, thousands of protesters ran rampant across the city, fighting battles with police, smashing shops, setting fires and erecting barricades. A teenage protester was shot at close range in the chest by police but miraculously survived. Scores of others were injured and 269 people arrested.
Hong Kong’s political crisis was sparked by a now withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the rendition of fugitives to mainland China for the first time. Opposition to the bill quickly grew into a democratic rebellion against the unpopular local government. Many protesters are also calling for self-determination or independence for Hong Kong.
—With reporting by Laignee Barron, Aria Chen and Hillary Leung / Hong Kong
