Hong Kong uses colonial-era emergency law to ban wearing masks at protests, sparking night of violence

Joshua Berlinger Helen Regan
By Joshua Berlinger and Helen Regan, CNN
Updated 4:09 PM EDT, Fri October 4, 2019
Pro-democracy demonstrators hold up their hands to symbolise their five demands during a protest against an expected government ban on protesters wearing face masks at Chater Garden in Hong Kong on October 4, 2019. - Hong Kong
PHOTO: Mohd Rasfan/AFPGetty Images
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(CNN) —  

Hong Kong’s leader invoked rarely-used emergency powers to ban people from wearing face masks during public assemblies, a move that enraged thousands of protesters who marched through streets across the territory on Friday night.

The city’s major transport network MTR suspended all of its operations after demonstrators vandalized a number of areas within Hong Kong – from train stations to shopping malls and banks.

The mask ban comes into effect on October 5, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced at a press conference Friday, following a special meeting of her cabinet, the Executive Council.

The embattled leader said the order to enact the “Prohibition On Face Covering Regulation” was a “necessary decision” but insisted it does not mean Hong Kong was in a state of emergency.

“We are now in a rather extensive and serious public danger. It is essential for us to stop violence and restore calm to society as soon as possible,” she said. “We believe the new law will create a deterrent effect against masked protesters and rioters.”

Lam said she won’t set a date to nullify the anti-mask law.

The vast majority of people who have attended the city’s recent pro-democracy demonstrations do so wearing masks to hide their identity, fearful that they could be arrested or targeted by police. Gas masks and respirators to protect against tear gas, which is often used by authorities to disperse unauthorized gatherings, have also become commonplace.

In order to enact such a ban the Chief Executive Office will invoke the city’s colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance, which grants the government sweeping emergency powers.

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PHOTO: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
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Police fire tear gas as protesters attempt to leave Hong Kong Polytechnic University via a bridge on November 18.
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PHOTO: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images
A protester throws an umbrella onto a fire at the barricaded main entrance of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.
An anti-government protester is detained at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.
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PHOTO: Laurel Chor/Getty Images
An anti-government protester is detained at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.
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An anti-government protester is showered down by volunteer medical workers after he was soaked by a police water cannons firing pepper spray-infused water at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 18.
Riot police fire tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters attempt to leave Hong Kong Poytechnic University on November 18.
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PHOTO: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
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PHOTO: ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images
Police use a water cannon outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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PHOTO: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images
A protester throws a Molotov cocktail at police on November 17.