Man and woman, arrested on Sunday, appeared in court after arrest for illegally covering their faces

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

Crowds clashed with police across Hong Kong in the fourth day of protests against an anti-mask law that the government claimed was needed to stop violence but critics say is a dangerous assault on civil rights.

Hong Kong authorities brought the first charges under a new anti-mask law earlier on Monday, as the city slowly recovered from a weekend of protests against the ban that turned violent, leaving a trail of destruction and shuttered metro stations.

The government insisted the prohibition – unveiled on Friday and brought into effect overnight using sweeping colonial-era powers – was needed to end four months of protests, but instead it has only inflamed tensions across the city.

A battle for the soul of the city: why violence has spiralled in the Hong Kong protests Read more

Later riot police used tear gas on protestors in at least three areas and also arrested demonstrators in several other parts of the city.

In Kowloon, police fires several rounds of tear gas, and played cat and mouse up and down Nathan Road with protestors shouting insults and protest slogans.

“At this stage we don’t feel any hope,” said one demonstrator, who asked not to be named. “We can’t do anything against the police, and obviously the laws no longer work here. Still every time I think of the other protestors who have been injured or arrested, I feel we have no right to give up.”

A man and a woman arrested on Sunday evening were charged with illegally covering their faces on Monday morning, the first time the law has been used; the courtroom was filled with many supporters who were wearing face masks themselves.

Play Video 0:46 Hong Kong protesters defy face mask ban – video

The mask ban was brought in under the colonial-era emergency regulations ordinance, which gives Chief Executive Carrie Lam virtually unlimited power.

The emergency powers have not been used for over half a century, and never since the handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Critics say that their use is unjustified, and a first step towards authoritarianism. Lam has hinted that she might use it to roll out harsher measures including a curfew if protests continue.

Hong Kong protesters defy the mask ban – in pictures Read more

Parts of the city’s metro was shut down on Monday, a public holiday in Hong Kong, after stations were damaged. Protesters are angry both that authorities have started closing parts of the MTR network prevent people gathering for protests or dispersing afterwards, and also that police have attacked protesters in stations.

Authorities said the entire network will shut four hours early at 6pm, to allow for repairs. With more protests planned for the evening, that will also make it harder for demonstrators to cross the city.

There is also widespread popular anger at police pursuing protestors through public spaces including shopping centres and train stations. A video shared on Twitter showed guards in one shopping mall desperately trying to hold the doors closed against police, who eventually burst through.

Hong Kong’s last governor Chris Patten joined attacks on Lam for her government’s heavy-handed approach, warning that the situation was likely to escalate further unless she started negotiations with protesters.

“The way forward is to engage with the demonstrators, particularly the peaceful demonstrators,” he told Sky news, highlighting two incidents in which teenagers were seriously injured by armed police.

“Before long, unless we’re very, very lucky, people are going to get killed, people are going to get shot. The idea that with public order policing, you send police forces out with live bullets, with live ammunition, is preposterous,”

Quick guide What are the five demands of the Hong Kong protesters? Show Hide The complete withdrawal of the proposed extradition bill Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has said her government will formally withdraw the bill that ignited months of protests. Hong Kong residents had feared it could be used by China to extradite people for political reasons. They want guarantees that it cannot be reintroduced at a later date. Withdrawal of the use of the word 'riot' in relation to the protests Protesters want the government to officially recognise that their movement has been a series of legitimate protests, rather than a riot, as has been stated in official communications. Unconditional release of arrested protesters and charges against them dropped Hundreds of people have been arrested in recent weeks, and the protesters are demanding that all of them be freed, and that no convictions should stand against any of them. An independent inquiry into police behaviour Police use of force has escalated since the demonstrations began, while protesters have also resorted to increasingly violent measures. Demonstrators say an inquiry into police brutality is the number-one priority. Implementation of genuine universal suffrage Hong Kong's chief executive is currently selected by a 1,200-member committee, and nearly half of the 70 legislative council seats are filled by limited electorates representing different sectors of the economy. The protesters want to be able to vote for their leaders in free and open democratic elections. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/X06783

China’s Hong Kong military garrison also warned protesters on Sunday they could be arrested for targeting its barracks with laser lights, the first direct interaction between the People’s Liberation Army and demonstrators.

Adding to concerns about a crack down on civil liberties, the city’s education bureau has also told schools they must provide details of how many students boycott classes, wear masks for political reasons, or take part in other protest activities, the South China Morning Post reported.

A Whatsapp message asked for the information by 11am on Tuesday, and also asked principals to take note of any “special incidents”, and record any students taking “abnormal leave”. Lawmaker and vice-president of the Professional Teachers’ Union Ip Kin-yuen attacked the “totally unnecessary” directive.

“What does the bureau really want to achieve by collecting such figures?” he told the paper. “And what if some of the non-cooperation movements happened solely outside school, should these events be reported as well?”

There were also fresh attacks on media freedoms Sunday, with police beating up one reporter and forcing another to remove his gas mask, even though the law protects the right to be masked for professional reasons. Protesters also hit a journalist with a molotov cocktail when trying to target police.