Show your face or don’t protest

Re: Don’t Jail People For Wearing A Mask, Marni Soupcoff, June 22. It is now a criminal offence in Canada to wear a mask during a riot or unlawful assembly. Such a law is long overdue. Protest and civil disobedience are fundamental forms of expression in a liberal democracy and we owe much to the brave individuals who by this form of expression have been agents for positive change in the past. Persons such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Henry david Thoreau come to mind.

The masked lawbreakers who smash windows, burn cars and vandalize under the cloak of anonymity, are far from brave and probably deserve time in a jail cell before they receive any tribute in our history books.

Dan Mailer, London, Ont. While I differ with Marni Soupcoff on the details, I agree that 10 years is an outrageous penalty for the offence of wearing a mask. One suggestion to avoid imprisonment would be to have the offender write a convincing essay on why he/she feels a masked protest is necessary. Letter writers, such as myself, are required to provide verifiable identification if I hope to be listened to, This is based upon the presumption that if one’s opinion is worth anything, you should be prepared to risk identification as the price of making it known. If not, don’t write or wear a mask.

Patrick MacKinnon, Victoria.