Hong Kong people took to the streets on Saturday wearing face masks in defiance of a new anti-mask law enacted by authorities to deter violence in the monthslong anti-government protests enveloping the Chinese territory.
Over 1,000 people marched from the bustling shopping area of Causeway Bay toward the business district of Central in protest against the face-mask ban, which took effect midnight Friday.
Earlier Friday, the Hong Kong government invoked an emergency law to criminalize the wearing of face masks at public demonstrations as violence intensified during the protests, now in their 18th weekend.
In a video address on Saturday, government leader Carrie Lam called on the residents to keep a distance from extremist elements among protesters, saying the government will not allow rioters to destroy Hong Kong.
During Saturday's protest in central Hong Kong, the crowd chanted various slogans, such as "Covering one's face is not a crime." Many in the crowd wore face masks.
"Hong Kong people cannot take it anymore," said Peter Chan, 55, an internet engineer. If Lam can invoke the emergency power to ban face masks, "she could enact other evil laws the same way in future," he said.
Chan charged that the government's use of its Emergency Regulations Ordinance to skirt the legislature and directly enact laws will facilitate abuse of power by it.
Friday's announcement of the ban on the wearing of face masks triggered an immediate angry response as protesters took to the streets in several parts of the territory in the evening.
Protesters set fire to subway stations and roadblocks, broke traffic lights and damaged shops and banks run by Chinese companies, while police remained mostly unseen.
A 14-year-old boy was shot in the thigh as a police officer opened fire while encircled by protesters in the New Territories, according to local media. He was taken to hospital and was in stable condition, according to local media.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old male high school student was shot in the chest by police in a clash. He was the first protester shot by live ammunition in the protests, which began over a now-suspended unpopular bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
Since the protests started in June, many protesters have worn surgical masks or air-filtering masks to protect themselves from teargas and pepper spray used by police and to maintain anonymity.
The new law carries a maximum penalty of one-year imprisonment and a fine of HK$25,000 ($3,200), and a prison term of six months and fine of HK$10,000 for resisting police requests to remove a mask.
Mass protests have continued despite the government's announcement last month that the extradition bill will be formally withdrawn in October.
The protesters' demands have widened to include an independent inquiry into police use of violent tactics against protesters, pardons for all those arrested and democratic reform.
Most of Saturday, the subway system, some banks and shops and major malls were shut down, while shoppers were seen lining up for groceries at supermarkets that opened for a few hours. The airport train service resumed in the afternoon.
"The extreme acts by the masked rioters were shocking and the level of vandalism was unprecedented," Lam said in the pre-recorded video released Saturday. "Hong Kong is in a state of serious public danger, which provides solid ground" for invoking the emergency law, she said.
She urged the public to support the government in cracking down violence and to cut ties with rioters. "The extreme acts of the rioters brought dark hours to Hong Kong (Friday). We should no longer condone rioters who are destroying Hong Kong."
Meanwhile, some members of the Legislative Council have applied for a judicial review over the newly enacted mask ban, saying the measure bypassed the legislature and breached the Basic Law, the mini-constitution in effect since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Outside Hong Kong Island, rallies were also held Saturday in places including the tourist hotspot of Tsim Sha Tsui in the Kowloon area and the Sheung Shui district in the New Territories bordering mainland China.
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Hong Kong gov't bans wearing of face masks during protests
