Hong Kong protests: spotlight on judge for ordering removal of yellow masks in court and riot comments on reporters – was he right, or did he go too far?
- Mixed views over actions by Judge Ernest Lin, who was hearing case on four protesters, with some saying he had the power to uphold dignity of court, while critics argue he infringed on freedoms
- Lin also accused of stirring debate on official accreditation for journalists after he criticised reporters in yellow vests shown in court video
The drama unfolded in courtroom 7 of the District Court during a session on Monday presided over by Judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung, who was hearing the guilty pleas of four suspects involved in an illegal assembly.
During a follow-up sentencing session on Wednesday, Lin sought to clarify his stance, saying the yellow masks also carried “political demands”.
At least one of three people involved in the mask saga on Monday was seen wearing a face covering with the acronym “FDNOL”, said to refer to the protest slogan “Five demands, not one less”, a clarion call for the 2019 anti-government movement. Under internal police guidelines, the phrase has been deemed a possible breach of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Lin said on Wednesday his order against the masks was not about their colour or to pass judgment on a particular political belief, or exclude anyone from the court on such basis.
“I saw members of the public inside the courtroom wear yellow masks with political demands printed on them. I do not want the court to become a venue for expressing political demands, so I instructed my clerk to urge them to change their masks,” the judge said, adding the ban could allow him to focus on the legal issues at hand.
