Hong Kong to ban protesters from wearing masks

Colonial-era emergency powers would give executive sweeping powers to restrict communication and movement

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TUESDAY 1 OCTOBER: A Hong Kong demonstrator flashes a scary smile during anti-government protests on China's 70th anniversary of Communist rule
(Image credit: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

Hong Kong’s embattled government is set to invoke colonial-era emergency power to prohibit protesters from wearing masks, as part of a broader crackdown on communications and movement.

According to the South China Morning Post, unnamed sources said that the government would invoke emergency laws that allow it to quickly ban face masks in protests as early as today.

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