Leader invokes emergency powers
PROTESTS SWELL
HONG KONG • Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers last used more than 50 years ago on Friday, in a dramatic move that enraged protesters, who took to the streets of the Chinese-ruled city within hours.
Lam, speaking at a news conference, said a ban on face masks would take effect Saturday under the emergency laws that allow authorities to “make any regulations whatsoever” in whatever they deem to be in the public interest.
China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office praised the move in a statement that said the protests were evolving into a “colour revolution,” a term coined to refer to popular uprisings in Ukraine and other former Soviet states.
The emergency laws allow curfews, censorship of the media, and control of harbours, ports and transport, although Lam did not specify any particular action that might follow beyond the mask ban.
THERE’S NO RULE OF LAW ANYMORE. WE CAN ONLY BE UNITED AND PROTEST.
As darkness fell Friday, defiant demonstrators took to the streets to vent their anger, vandalizing what they perceived to be China-friendly businesses and blocking roads in the heart of the financial centre. Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in flashpoint districts across the territory.
“The anti-mask law has become a tool of tyranny,” said Samuel Yeung, an 18-year-old university student, as crowds swelled in the main financial district of Central.
“They can make use of the emergency law to enact any policies or laws the government wants. There’s no rule of law anymore. We can only be united and protest.”
What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law, which could have seen people sent for trial in mainland courts, has grown into a broad pro-democracy movement and a serious challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
On Friday evening, thousands of demonstrators — many blue-collar workers and unmasked residents — gathered across the territory. Bus routes were suspended and rail operator MTR closed stations.
Many protesters wear masks to hide their identity due to fears employers could face pressure to take action against them.
“Almost all protesters wear masks, with the intention of hiding their identity. That’s why they have become more unbridled,” said Lam. “We can’t keep the existing regulations idle and let violence escalate and the situation continue to deteriorate.”