Analysts said it set a dangerous precedent by slowly removing people’s civil liberties
Hong Kong’s leader has banned the wearing of masks in a sign that the government is hardening its stance over the pro-democracy protests.
Ms Lam used colonial-era emergency legislation to get her ban through, which allowed her to bypass the city’s legislature.Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, left, has banned the use of face coverings to stop anti-Beijing protests Announcing the move, Ms Lam said: ‘People are asking can Hong Kong go back to normal? Is Hong Kong still a place where we can have our sweet home?The mask ban will carry a jail sentence of up to one year or a fine.
She is refusing to step down, despite it being one of a number of demands that pro-democracy activists have. Political experts said the use of the Emergency Ordinance law for the first time since 1967 was ‘dangerous.’They added it could be counterproductive as tens of thousands of people have already defied police bans on rallies.‘If the anti-mask legislation proves to be ineffective, it could lead the way to more draconian measures such as a curfew and other infringement of civil liberties.’
Teenage demonstrator Tsang Chi-kin was shot in the chest and now faces 10 years in jail after being charged with assault and rioting.as he documented an arrest, one of more than 1,750 that have happened since June.A demonstrator wears an Anonymous mask in Mong Kok a day before Chinese National Day It has since snowballed into an anti-China campaign and is the most serious threat to the nation since the handover from the UK in 1997.
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