HKMAO backs HK court ruling that anti-mask law constitutional

The central government's high-level office that oversees Hong Kong affairs on Monday threw its weight behind a Hong Kong appellate court's ruling that backed the city government's ban on covering one's face at unlawful assemblies and protests.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said the ruling will help the law-based governance of the chief executive and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, especially in handling emergencies that endanger public safety, and effectively curbing violence and maintaining public order.

The remark came after the Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that it was constitutional for the government to introduce the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation under the auspices of the Emergency Regulations Ordinance during a state of public danger. The ban remains in force at unlawful assemblies and protests, according to the court ruling.

The spokesman also expressed regret that some Western media had biased reporting and comments on the appellant verdict. Their behavior not only interferes in China's internal affairs but also infringed judicial independence.

The appellate court's ruling was hailed in Hong Kong, said a spokesperson for the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The anti-mask law is important to stop riots and restore order, and therefore is in the fundamental interests of the Hong Kong community and the general public, the spokesman said.

Many countries and regions across the world have adopted similar legislation to prohibit masked demonstrators in order to prevent violent crime and terrorism. It is likewise necessary and justified for the HKSAR government to take legal measures in the face of social unrest and large-scale illegal acts, the spokesperson said.

The spokesman urged Western media to report on Hong Kong affairs in an objective and professional manner. Their biased reports that glorify illegal actions and violence will only undermine the interests of Hong Kong, as well as the credibility of the media themselves, the spokesperson added.

Solicitor Kennedy Wong Ying-ho said the Western media have shown a double standard in reporting the Hong Kong court's ruling on the anti-mask law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Western governments have invoked emergency ordinances to empower themselves to take measures conducive to public safety in the case of an emergency. The criticism of Hong Kong's anti-mask law is purely politically motivated, Wong said.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, thinks the opposition camps, as part of their political agenda, will pressure the Court of Final Appeal to rule the mask ban unconstitutional.