This story is being published by POLITICO as part of a content partnership with the South China Morning Post. It originally appeared on scmp.com on Oct. 3, 2019.
Hong Kong’s embattled government is to announce on Friday a ban on people wearing masks at protests, sources have told the South China Morning Post.
Officials are planning to impose the ban through legislation under a tough colonial-era emergency law in an attempt to end the street violence during anti-government protests that have been continuing for nearly four months.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will hold a special meeting of her de facto cabinet, the Executive Council, to impose the ban, according to the sources.
The city’s legislature will only be able to amend or repeal the legislation after implementation.
If approved, the new law would take effect within a short time, one source said, adding: “There’s no point waiting until next week.”
The colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance, introduced in 1922, grants the city’s leader the authority to “make any regulations whatsoever which he [or she] may consider desirable in the public interest” in case of “emergency or public danger.”
Masked anti-government protesters marred China’s National Day celebrations on Tuesday with a violent rampage across Hong Kong, prompting police to fire six live rounds – including one which hit a student in his chest – and arresting 269 people for various offenses, including rioting.
The source said the violence on October 1 made the anti-mask law an urgent matter.
“We cannot wait for the Legislative Council, which will only meet on October 16 at the earliest,” he said.
Source: Hong Kong to announce new law banning masks during protests
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