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Letters | Hong Kong protesters have many reasons for wearing masks: cowardice is not one of them
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Why you can trust SCMP
I’m writing in response to David T.K. Wong’s October 8 letter on the Hong Kong mask ban, where he says: True revolutionaries do not need face masks as they are ready to die for their principles.
I agree that true revolutionaries should not be afraid of death in fighting for their demands, but wearing face masks doesn’t necessarily mean they have a fear of death.
Wearing a face mask when it is banned can be a form of silent protest, or a kind of symbolism. For instance, the “V for Vendetta” Guy Fawkes mask represents defiance against the government and a demand for civil rights. Therefore, it has been widely used by anti-government protesters across the globe.
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Moreover, the Hong Kong protests (or “revolution”) have emphasised “being water”, reminding protesters to stop when necessary, so throughout the protests you can see the youngsters adopting a hit-and-run approach.
Moreover, if I were a protester on the front lines, I wouldn’t want to die for the cause, as that would defeat the purpose of the movement. It’s not too late for the government to respond and make concrete moves to end the protests. It would be outrageous if either a protester were killed by police or if a pro-government Hongkonger were killed by a protester. The situation afterwards would be out of control and the city plunged into complete chaos; that’s not what we want to see.
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