The Hong Kong government’s bypassing of Legco to unilaterally introduce a ‘mask law’ is an insult to all HongKongers and a violation of our rights under both the Basic Law and Hong Kong law.
Carrie Lam has ignored millions of HongKongers marching peacefully, she has ignored the input of the people invited to attend the community discussions that she instigated.
Instead of listening to the people she claimed to represent when elected, and looking to attempt to defuse the volatile situation she created with the Extradition Law, Lam has instead trampled over the rights and freedoms of all HongKongers.
There was no violence or masks at the original protests against the extradition law.
The violence was instigated and initiated by the HK Police who actively and deliberately choose to use excessive force to disperse peaceful protestors and who allowed triads to attack the public.
Masks arrived because of the police’s excessive, indiscriminate and illegal use of tear gas and pepper spray.
The ‘mask law’ does not affect those Lam labels as ‘violent’ protestors, the penalties for ‘unlawful assembly’ far exceed those of the ‘mask law’.
The newly instigated law looks to intimidate and shutdown the peaceful protestors who are freely expressing their opinions as enshrined in the Basic Law and allowed under HK Law.
It also appears to be worded to suppress and interfere with the Freedom of the Press and the media’s ability to cover the protests and the excessive violence of the HK Police against protestors and members of the public. It is after all hard to film and report when you have a faceful of tear gas and/or pepper spray.
The protestors violence directly stems from the police’s own actions.
The damage to the MTR stems from it’s own injunction turning passengers into criminals and from picking sides rather than remaining neutral and simply moving people around.
The only way ‘healing’ and peace can come is from the government and the new ‘mask law’ shows Lam has no interest in resolving the violent situation she created. Beijing only understands force, subjugation and repression of freedoms.
Lam will go down in history as woman who destroyed Hong Kong, we can only hope that the blood on her hands gives her nightmares for the eternity.
