A radical protester in Hong Kong Photo: AFP

Hong Kong's law authority is studying the anti-mask law as more pro-establishment legislators and officials in Hong Kong called for invoking the law to forbid the use of masks in public gatherings to end the violence. 

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng said the authority is now studying the anti-mask law as various factors should be taken into account, including the potential impact of imposing the law on Hong Kong society, according to media reports.  

The comment came after several Hong Kong lawmakers and ordinary citizens have called for enacting the law to forbid the use of masks in public rallies, as black-clad rioters, almost all wearing masks during riots, have led the city into chaos over the past months. 

There are anti-mask laws in many countries like the US and Canada. And France also signed the law to officially make it illegal for protesters to cover their faces earlier this year, after weeks of anti-government protests, according to media reports. 

Starry Lee Wai-king, the chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, told reporters on Tuesday that recent riots showed that covering their faces would help escalate the violence, making it more difficult for law enforcement.   

Ordinary Hong Kong people have been protesting against rioters wearing masks since August and some had already marched to the headquarters of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, petitioning for the law. "Rioters who wear masks have become reckless, attacking others and abandoning the rule of law," a local resident, who joined the petition and preferred not to be named, told the Global Times. 

In public events, the only reason to hide their faces is to escape from law enforcement, Executive Councilor Ronny Tong Ka-wah, also a Hong Kong senior counsel, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "If wearing masks helps the spread of violence, it's necessary for us to act on the matter," he said. 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam, together with principal officials, will attend the first community dialogue session on Thursday. Whether details on the anti-mask law would be included is being closely watched, legislators said.