Hong Kong protesters use masquerade as new protest tactic

Winnie the Pooh, Guy Fawkes, Pepe the Frog — these are the new faces of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. Demonstrators masqueraded on Friday night as their favorite characters in defiance of the government’s ban this month on face coverings at public gatherings.

Protesters in the semi-autonomous Chinese city took a humorous approach to draw attention to their cause as they try to keep up the pressure on the government five months since the movement erupted. Many assumed the identity of Winnie the Pooh, because Chinese internet users joke that the talking bear resembles President Xi Jinping. 

Others wore Guy Fawkes masks, a global symbol of anti-government protests. Some became Pepe the Frog, a character adopted by Hong Kong protesters unaware of its association with U.S. far-right extremists. Chinese internet users have joked that Chinese President Xi Jinping resembles the talking bear, leading the country’s censors to scrub online references to the character. Fawkes masks have come to represent anti-government protests around the world.

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The protesters were taking a lighthearted approach to opposing the government’s decision this month to invoke colonial-era emergency regulations banning face masks at rallies as it struggles to contain the chaotic protest movement. Hong Kong’s leader has said the ban on masks, which have become a hallmark of the protests, is aimed at deterring radical behaviour.

But the protesters say they wear them out of fear of retribution and concern that their identities will be shared with China’s massive state security apparatus. Some protesters out Friday assumed the identity of Xi or Hong Kong’s deeply unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Others wore masks depicting Pepe the Frog, a character that has become a symbol for the Hong Kong protesters unaware of its association with far-right extremists in the U.S.

Hong Kong protests 

Later Saturday, supporters waving U.S. and British flags held a prayer rally to call for outside help for their cause. The protest march is planned for Sunday, with organizers vowing to hold the event even though it failed to win approval from police, who cited risks to public order.

Protesters are trying to keep the pressure on the government to respond to their demands, including full democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality. They're also using Sunday's rally to raise a more recent demand for the government to scrap a ban installed this month on face masks at public gatherings. Organisers said demonstrators would defy the police because Hong Kong's constitution guarantees the right to protest.

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(With agency inputs)