Quote:
Originally Posted by valo403
Freedom of expression maybe, but outside of that I don't see where the argument lies. You can't just fabricate a religion to claim you covered your face for religious purposes. Your right to gather and protest has not been infringed. Even freedom of expression is shaky, you'd have to establish that the wearing of a mask is a form of expression in and of itself, not just something done to conceal your identity, or that not allowing people to disguise their faces would have a chilling effect upon their ability to express their viewpoint.
And for those comparing this to sentences for other crimes you're missing that those other crimes have maximum sentences that far exceed this one. The fact that people aren't always sentenced to the maximum term doesn't decrease the sentencing guidelines. This extension would simply allow for a longer sentence, it wouldn't mandate it.
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Quick examples: A woman wearing a burqa protesting woman's rights. (Religion)
A group of people wearing Guy Fawkes masks - I'm sure somewhere out there, there's a Guy Fawkes club with devoted members (Association/expression)
I never said every case. Just saying, any decent lawyer should be able to find a hole in this proposed new policy.