Pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong on Sunday failed to secure an immediate injunction against a recent face mask ban for protesters and an end to a government-declared emergency that bypassed the city's legislature.
The legal challenge before Hong Kong's High Court was the second attempt after an initial bid failed on Friday night just hours after Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the ban.
Hong Kong lawmaker Dennis Kwok had earlier compared the government's emergency powers to absolute monarchies, saying: "This is a Henry VIII situation. This is basically, I say what is law ... and I say when that ceases to be law. That's not how our constitution works."
Read more: Hong Kong crisis: What you need to know
The mask ban will need to be approved by the territory's Legislative Council, which resumes session on October 16. While the complainants failed to have the mask ban suspended, they did win a judicial review, which will take place in late October.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers marched in protest across more than half a dozen districts, despite heavy rain and shuttered subway stations.
Government: Emergency justified by 'extreme violence'
Metro stations partially reopened in parts of the city on Sunday after a day of eerie quiet in public transport hubs and shopping malls. On Friday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked colonial-era emergency powers, last used in the city more than 50 years ago, to try to bring an end to the months of protests against her administration and the government in Beijing.
Lam said the use of emergency powers was justified by the "extreme violence" of Friday's protests, which came after the government implemented a ban on wearing masks to the demonstrations, one of the means participants have to protect themselves from identification and surveillance.
Read more: Anti-mask law: Hong Kong moving toward 'martial law'
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Hong Kong dressed in black
Black, chosen for its association with mourning and sorrow, is the color — or anti-color — of choice for the hundreds of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in Hong Kong to fight for more democracy in their metropolis. Counter-protesters aligning with the city's pro-Beijing mayor chose white to distinguish themselves.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Hong Kong's yellow umbrella revolution
Hong Kong's protests have not always been in black and white. Back in 2014 during the so-called Umbrella Revolution, when protesters demanded fully free elections and other democratic reforms for their semi-autonomous city, yellow umbrellas were the symbolic item of choice. Protesters used them to fend off tear gas released by police.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Ukraine's orange crush
Replacing the color red, which many associate with communism in the Soviet Union, orange was the color of choice for the opposition during Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" in 2004. For 17 days in the harsh Ukrainian winter, members of different social classes came together on behalf of opposition candidate Viktor Yushenko.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
The Saffron Revolution in Myanmar
The peaceful 2007 demonstrations in Myanmar became known by the color saffron — the typical hue of Buddhist monks' robes. At the forefront of the protests against the military government, the monks were joined by students and political activists, including many women.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
The Philippines Yellow Revolution
After three years of demonstrations from 1983 to 1986 against president Ferdinand Marcos and his regime, citizens of the Philippines triumphed in a peaceful revolution. It's commonly referred to as the "Yellow Revolution" for the color of the ribbons protesters held during their gatherings. The image above shows yellow confetti thrown in honor of the revolution's anniversary in 2013.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Iran's Green Movement
Green is considered the color of Islam and was chosen by protesters fighting the government during the 2009-2010 elections in Iran: Demonstrators accused the regime of falsifying election results. The regime reacted swiftly, injuring defenseless protesters and arresting around 4000 people. Today, the demonstrations are still referred to as the "Green Movement."
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Macedonia's Colorful Revolution
Why choose one color when you can have them all? To protest against the government's decision to call off an investigation into a wiretapping scandal in 2016, Macedonian protesters gathered in the nation's capital in mid-April to show their discontent. Many threw colored paint at government buildings, achieving an effect similar to that of artist Jackson Pollock's famous splatter masterpieces.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
The Carnation Revolution in Portugal
Not only colors but also flowers have come to symbolize significant protests in modern history. After a successful coup in Portugal on April 25, 1974 that ended years of dictatorship, overjoyed citizens celebrated by putting red carnations in the guns of their victorious fighters. It was the blossoming of a new era of democracy in Portugal, followed by similar developments in Spain and Greece.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Moldova's Grape Revolution
In Moldova, the "Grape Revolution" was the name given to protests of the parliamentary election results in 2009: After the Communist party was successful, demonstrators took to the streets. The name reportedly referenced the country's numerous vineyards. The revolution did not grow to the magnitude of those in other countries once belonging to the Soviet Union, such as Ukraine.
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What do a revolution's colors tell us?
Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution?
For 28 days in 2011, Tunisians stormed the streets to protest corruption, unemployment and poor living conditions. Interestingly, the name "Jasmine Revolution" was popular with Western media, but not with Tunisians. Instead, Tunisian's referred to it as the "Dignity Revolution," since the ousting of the previous President Ben Ali in 1987 was also called the "Jasmine Revolution."
Author: Sarah Hucal
Many have since worn masks in defiance of the ban, and some vented their anger by setting fires, throwing Molotov cocktails and burning the Chinese flag. A 14-year-old boy was shot and wounded on Friday when a police officer, who was surrounded by protesters, fired his service weapon. Earlier in the week, another teenager was shot and wounded by police when he attacked an officer as China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule.
The protests originally began in March in opposition to an extradition bill that has since been scrapped, but they have come to encompass wider demands. Demonstrators are calling for the democracy promised to them when the territory was handed over to China from Britain in 1997, and fear living under the authoritarianism present in mainland China.
sri,es/ng (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
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