Masking technologies in Hong Kong
Masking technologies in Hong Kong – covering faces with black surgical masks, Guy Fawkes disguises, dish towels and paper bags
Tens of thousands in Hong Kong marched in the territory’s two main districts in defiance of a government ban on face masks, despite fears of violence and pouring rain.
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A history of face-covering masks
Since June, when the current protests began, the use of masks has increased in tandem with arrests and violence in Hong Kong. Early on, most people attending rallies and demonstrations did not wear face-covering masks. At the most, they donned flimsy surgical masks.
Now, those masks are standard attire, as are gas masks with varying levels of protection and coverage, and it is not uncommon to see hardline protestors with full face and body coverings.
There are other variations as well. See more The Functions And Forms Of Masks, What is the Mask?, Masking technologies, Masking in Psychology
On Oct. 1, when thousands in Hong Kong marched and fought police on China’s National Day, many protesters sported Guy Fawkes masks, which have been a symbol of popular resistance since they appeared in the 2005 film “V for Vendetta” but had not been widely seen in Hong Kong before Tuesday.
As its styles and uses have changed, the mask itself has become more than a tool; it has evolved into a potent symbol of the protest movement.
“The face mask ban is just ill-conceived, very very silly thing to have done,” Tsang, of SOAS, says. “All that it does is […] make people even more angry.”
Before Lam’s Friday press conference even began, hundreds of people had already taken to the streets and message boards were lighting up with calls for thousands more, signaling that the move will likely inflame another weekend of intense protests.
As of Friday evening, seven subway stations had been shut and protestors had filled central Hong Kong’s main thoroughfares to protest the ban, nearly all of them wearing face masks.
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