今晚是一年一度的萬聖節,網民發起「哈囉喂九官面具夜」,由銅鑼灣維多利亞公園步行至中環蘭桂坊,沿途戴上各種政府官員面具,藉此表達對政府強推《蒙面法》的不滿。
有酒吧業界稱,不擔心參與行動市民會令蘭桂坊變得混亂,反之擔心警方出現,令氣氛變得緊張,釀成警民衝突,甚至施放催淚彈,冀蘭桂坊協會可安排糾察維持秩序;有蘭桂坊食肆、酒吧亦稱今日營業時間如常,暫未考慮提早結束營業時間。警方則事先張揚,提醒當區店舖加強留意,在有需要時提早關門,以配合警方行動,保障生命及財產安全。
晚上7時半,大批人在銅鑼灣維多利亞公園集合,8時起行,向中環進發。警方在港島部署 3000 防暴警察及3部水炮車,以作防備。大批防暴警察及警車在維園附近阻截,舉黄及藍旗警告。市民無懼警方威嚇,繼續前進。
大隊步行向終點蘭桂坊,其間會途經中環和平紀念碑,有人獻上白花、糖或朱古力,以悼念因運動而逝世的香港人。
On Halloween tonight, netizens launched the “Masquerade Halloween” to walk from Victoria Park in Causeway Bay to Lan Kwai Fong in Central. They put on masks of various government officials to express their dissatisfaction with the government and the mask ban.
Some bar insiders said that they are not worried that the protest will make Lan Kwai Fong become chaotic. On the contrary, they are worried about the police deployment, which will make the atmosphere tense, resulting in conflicts between police and civilians, and even the use of tear gas. The Lan Kwai Fong Association can arrange security guards to maintain order; Lan Kwai Fong restaurants and bars also said that today’s business hours are normal, and they have not considered closing early. The police have publicized in advance to remind shops in the area to close early when necessary in response to police actions to ensure safety.
At 7:30 pm, a large crowd gathered in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. At 8 pm, they started walking towards Central. 3,000 riot police and 3 water cannon trucks were deployed on Hong Kong Island to guard against any eventuality. Police tried to block the march and raised yellow and blue warning flags, but citizens were undaunted and walked towards Lan Kwai Fong. As they passed the Cenotaph in Central, white flowers, candies and chocolate were offered to mourn the Hong Kong people who died because of the movement.