Hong Kong Protests Escalate

HONG KONG (AP) – Shouting “Wearing mask is not a crime,” thousands of protesters are braving the rain to march in central Hong Kong as a court rejected a second legal attempt to block a mask ban at pro-democracy rallies. The ban took force Saturday, triggering more violence over the last two days. A teen protester was shot Friday night in the thigh after an off-duty police officer fired his pistol in self-defense. Lawmaker Dennis Kwok says the High Court on Sunday refused to grant an injunction on the mask ban, but it will hear later this month an application by 24 legislators against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s use of emergency powers to impose the measure by circumventing the legislature. Lam said the mask ban was needed to stop the violence.