Hardline protesters resume violence over Hong Kong mask ban

Riot police have fanned out across Hong Kong as groups of hardline protesters took to the streets in continued violence after the government banned face masks at rallies, pushing the semi-autonomous Chinese territory into deeper crisis.

The scenes in at least six locations across the city have almost become the norm, with groups of black-clad youths setting up road barriers to block traffic, smashing traffic lights and shops linked to China, and breaking into and vandalising shuttered subway stations.

Riot police fired tear gas, charged at crowds and took up positions on the streets.

A number of protesters were detained.

The mask ban, which took effect on Saturday under an emergency law, has led to more anger instead of deterring the anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the international financial hub for four months.

“Wearing a mask is not a crime!” has become a new battle cry at daily rallies that have degenerated into skirmishes between police and hard-core protesters.

Earlier on Monday, an 18-year-old student and a 38-year-old woman became the first to be prosecuted under the mask ban, which is punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine.

Detained early on Saturday shortly after the ban took effect, the two were also charged with taking part in an unlawful assembly, which carries a heavier penalty of up to five years in jail.

They were both released on bail pending trial.

“I am wearing a mask to come here today … this is a form of silent protest,” said 16-year-old student Bao Yeung, who was among a large group of supporters outside the court.

The protests were sparked by a now-shelved bill that would have allowed some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial but have since morphed into a larger anti-government movement.

Sunday’s protest also drew a first warning from the Chinese military after some demonstrators shone laser pointers at one of its barracks in Hong Kong.

Police said rioters also attacked bystanders, including two men left unconscious after bloody beatings and a woman who took photos of rioting.

In a statement on Monday, police said the “public order of the whole city is being pushed to the verge of a very dangerous situation”.

The chaos has led many shops and public services to close and prompted panic buying in some areas.

The city’s MTR network of subways and trains, which was entirely shut down on Saturday and most of Sunday, reopened partially on Monday, a Chinese public holiday.

Hong Kong’s High Court has rejected a second effort to invalidate the mask ban but agreed to hear later this month an application by 24 legislators against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s use of the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance to impose the ban without legislative approval.

She has said the mask ban will make identification of rioters easier for police and that other measures are possible if violence continues.

Critics fear the emergency law, which gives Ms Lam broad powers to implement any measures she deems necessary, could pave the way for more draconian moves.

The law was enacted by the British in 1922 to quell a seamen’s strike and was last used in 1967 to crush riots.

A police official said 13 people were detained on Saturday for violating the ban and other offences but could not say how many more were arrested on Sunday.

Enforcement is tricky in a city where many have worn surgical masks since a deadly respiratory disease outbreak in 2003.

Two teenagers have been injured by gunfire from officers under attack this week.

An 18-year-old protester, shot at close range by a riot officer on Tuesday, was charged with rioting and assaulting police.

A 14-year-old, who suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh on Friday night, was arrested.