National Police Agency Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) yesterday sought to clarify a comment by a police official suggesting that police would enforce an anti-mask law similar to the one in Hong Kong to deter widespread protests.
Police will not forbid all participants at public assemblies from wearing masks and would only check on a select few based on tip-offs or intelligence, Chen said.
Article 14 of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) stipulates that authorities “shall put necessary restrictions” on “any disguise that might make personal identification difficult,” Chen said, effectively prohibiting the use of masks.
Photo: Yao Yue-hung, Taipei Times
However, it does not mean that police will ban participants from wearing a mask or other covering, Chen said, adding that they would only check participants who pose a potential threat to a rally.
Chen’s comments followed remarks on Saturday by Taipei Police Commissioner Chen Jia-chang (陳嘉昌), who said during a city council session that the Taipei Police Department would enforce the law for the safety of all rally participants.
His remarks raised concerns that Taiwan would follow Hong Kong’s example, which on Friday invoked British colonial-era emergency powers to ban pro-democracy protesters from wearing masks.
Hong Kong protesters have worn masks to hide their identities, in part to avoid arrest amid the territory’s “riot” laws, and in part to prevent their employers being pressured into taking action against them.
The department in a statement yesterday said that it would not forbid all assembly participants from wearing masks, while acknowledging that masks at rallies are still against the law.
Police officers would first inform rally organizers if they see people wearing masks and would not intervene unless the organizers fail to persuade people to remove their masks and ask police for help, it said.
The department would continue to protect people’s freedom of assembly, while maintaining order at rallies, the statement said.
Chen Jia-chang’s remarks were in response to an incident in which Hong Kong singer and rights advocate Denise Ho (何韻詩) was sprayed with paint by a suspect wearing a mask before a pro-Hong Kong rally in Taipei on Sept. 29, the statement said.
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