Ban protesters from wearing masks, urge Hong Kong lawmakers at Legco security panel meeting
Meanwhile, city’s leader CY Leung says police probe and court hearing will reveal truth behind Mong Kok riots
Lawmakers urged the government to introduce an anti-mask law, claiming many protesters hid their identities during the Mong Kok riot to avoid police capture.
At a special meeting of the Legislative Council’s security panel yesterday, pro-establishment lawmakers expressed concerns about the large number of protesters masking themselves during the Mong Kok riot last week to avoid legal responsibilities.
Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong asked whether the government would consider passing a new law “like in Germany, Austria, Canada and the States, to ban protesters from wearing masks”.
READ MORE: The day Hong Kong’s innocence died at the hands of a Mong Kok mob
Quat’s idea was backed by others in the pro-Beijing camp. The Security Bureau and police force dodged questions over whether such a law could be implemented, but slammed radical protesters for concealing their identities.
Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said protesters in the past had been “above board”.
But he added there was “a small group of rioters masking themselves during the planned riot in Mong Kok” who sought to “hide their identities”.
Police Director of Operations Alan Lau Yip-shing said officers were authorised to intercept any suspicious person under the current law.