Hong Kong Protests: Thousands March, Defying Face Mask Ban

Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, delayed invoking the law for weeks, out of concern that it would hurt efforts to persuade residents, tourists and international businesses that the city is still a safe place. She appears to think the ban’s potential upside — dissuading moderate Hong Kongers from joining demonstrations — is worth the damage it would inflict upon her reputation.

But Hong Kongers are also deeply sensitive to efforts to erode the civil liberties that have long differentiated their city from the rest of China and helped make it an attractive destination for international bankers and investors. And many here see the ban — like the contentious extradition legislation that triggered the protests — as something that could fundamentally change the city’s identity.

Mr. Chan, the protester in Causeway Bay, said he did not think the mask ban would significantly depress the turnout for rallies or marches in Hong Kong because protesters were already facing rioting charges that carry jail terms of up to 10 years just for showing up at rallies that the police deem unauthorized.

“But undoubtedly, those who are more fearful might not dare,” he added.

The ban could still inflame hard-core protesters who have increasingly resorted to violence and widespread vandalism as a way of pressing the movement’s demands for government accountability and democratic reforms.

And it has already prompted stiff opposition from Mrs. Lam’s opponents in Hong Kong’s legislature.

On Saturday, 24 members of the city’s pro-democracy legislative minority asked a Hong Kong court to put the mask ban on hold. They accused Mrs. Lam of overstepping her legal authority under the Basic Law, the mini-constitution that has governed Hong Kong since Britain handed it back to Chinese control in 1997.

“Today is a battle between totalitarianism and the rule of law,” one of the lawmakers, Dennis Kwok, told reporters on Sunday morning. “So the government can implement any law they want — is that the way it is now? Or is Hong Kong still a society under the rule of law?”

Mrs. Lam has called Mr. Kwok’s argument “groundless.” And on Sunday — just before the Causeway Bay rally began — the city’s High Court threw out the request for an injunction against the ban.

Ezra Cheung, Katherine Li and Edward Wong contributed reporting.