Hong Kong's anti-mask law legal, reasonable, necessary

The vandalism and wanton violence across Hong Kong over the long weekend show why the just-announced anti-mask law, and possibly other emergency measures, are necessary to restore order in the special administrative region.

The law, enacted by invoking the Emergency Regulations Ordinance on Friday, forbids participants of public rallies, authorized or not, to hide their identities by covering their faces. Offenders are subject to a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a HK$25,000 ($3,187) fine.

Even before the law came into effect at midnight on Friday, radical elements, apparently angered by the announcement by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor of the new legal tool aimed at curbing their anti-social activities, started trashing subway stations and public and private property across the city. People confronting them with dissenting opinions were viciously attacked.