BEIJING, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- An anti-mask law established by the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) came into effect on Saturday to end violence and restore order in the Asian financial hub.
HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a press conference Friday that the government has invoked the power under the Emergency Regulations Ordinance and passed the Prohibition on Face Covering Regulation to "create a deterrent effect against masked, violent protesters and rioters."
Many countries have similar anti-mask legislations, including Britain, Russia, Canada, Australia, France and the United States.
Following a series of riots in many British cities in August 2011, Britain temporarily reintroduced anti-mask laws, giving the police the power to remove face masks and other covering from rioters.
The amendments of the Russian federal law on assemblies, meetings, demonstrations, marches and picketing as of June 2012 demand that participants in a public event do not conceal their faces, including through the use of masks and other means of disguise to hide one's identity.
Those who fail to comply with the lawful request can be temporarily detained for investigation, the law said.
On June 19, 2013, Canada's parliament passed the Preventing Persons from Concealing Their Identity during Riots and Unlawful Assemblies Act (Bill C-309).
The law bans the wearing of masks during a riot or illegal assembly, and carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison.
Australia's state of Victoria passed laws in September 2017 to prohibit the covering of faces in violent protests. Those who commit violence while wearing a face mask could get 15 years behind bars.
"This legislation will make it clear that if you commit these violent offences with face covering on, you'll get even longer periods in prison," said then Victorian Attorney-General Martin Pakula.
The French government introduced an anti-riot law in April 2019, which bans covering one's face during a demonstration that disrupts public order. A conviction under the law can lead to a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros.
In the United States, at least 15 states prohibit protesters from wearing masks. In New York State, the anti-mask law bans wearing masks or any manner of disguise during demonstrations.
In Arizona State, lawmakers revamped a bill in early 2018 which bans wearing a disguise during protests and public events. Offenders wearing a mask when damaging property will face more time in prison than those who do not cover their faces.
