HK community hails ban on masking in public

The much-awaited anti-mask legislation gained wide endorsement from various sectors on Friday, marking a step forward to bring the city out of months of social unrest.

Heavyweights from various sectors, including education, politics and business, hailed the new law as an effective way to end the violence and vandalism that have plagued the city for nearly four months.

The Hong Kong SAR government on Friday announced the introduction of the legislation to prohibit masking during public meetings, public processions and illegal assemblies in a bid to end months of protest violence. Anyone breaching the law could be subject to imprisonment of up to a year and a fine of HK$25,000.

In a joint statement by 40 pro-establishment lawmakers on Friday, they said that rioters for the past four months have been inclined to commit violence when wearing masks to disguise their personal identity.

This has made it difficult for the police in evidence collection. By wearing facial coverings, members of the mobs also intended to evade their criminal responsibility.

The anti-mask law is an effective way to help the Hong Kong police force stop the violence. Several overseas jurisdictions have enacted similar laws and there are cases that prove it could improve the efficiency of law enforcement.

A leading school-parent platform on Friday backed the anti-mask law introduced by the government on Friday to quell the escalating violence and vandalism that have roiled the city for about four months.

In a statement issued shortly after the government's announcement, Chairman of the Committee of Home-School Cooperation Henry Tong Sau-chai said the government's prohibition of face covering in the regulation is an important step in leading the community out of the current impasse.

The anti-mask law, under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, will come into effect on Saturday.

Since early June, the city has been battered by escalating violence and vandalism by black-clad radicals who often wear facial masks or gas masks to conceal their identities.

Tong said that some students also showed up on campus in black T-shirts and masks, causing parental concern that the violence could spread among students. It also made other students feel threatened and worried, Tong added.

The anti-mask law, which is aimed at those in masked mobs, would be an effective way to solve the current predicament, Tong reckoned.

He also urged teachers and parents to continue to try their best to keep students away from illegal and violent behaviors.

The committee comprises members from the Education Bureau, educators (drawn from kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools), parents of children in local schools, parent educators, and people from other sectors and professionals.

Also throwing their weight behind the government's move are the city's largest political group, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, and the city's largest labor union - the Federation of Trade Unions, and the Business and Professional Alliance for Hong Kong.