Hong Kong protests: High Court rejects legal bid to suspend ‘Henry VIII-style’ anti-mask law
- Led by legal sector lawmaker Dennis Kwok, the group took Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, her justice secretary and the police commissioner to court
- Mr Justice Godfrey Lam dismisses legal challenge from the 24 pro-democracy lawmakers seeking suspension of the face-covering restrictions
A judge has rejected a bid from pro-democracy lawmakers to suspend the government’s ban on wearing masks at protests in Hong Kong.
The ruling by Mr Justice Godfrey Lam Wan-ho on Sunday came after lawyers for the 24 opposition politicians and the government locked horns in the High Court over the emergency measure, which has caused uproar since its introduction this weekend, triggering widespread unrest.
On Friday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor invoked the colonial Emergency Regulations Ordinance to enact a ban on face masks at all rallies, regardless of whether the events are lawful or unauthorised.
The group of pro-democracy lawmakers likened the ban to “Henry VIII-style suppression” when they launched a legal fight to get it suspended and revoked.
In his affirmation, Kwok likened Lam to Henry VIII, the English king notorious for his six marriages and obsession with his divine royal rights and quelling dissent with treason charges.