HK police say
Man set alight after arguing with protesters
Marching protesters hold up their hands as a symbol of the five demands of the movement, during a protest in Hong Kong's Central district on 11 November.
AFP, Hong Kong :
Hong Kong police on Monday said a man was set alight following a heated argument with pro-democracy protesters during a day of widespread clashes across the city, as videos of the brutal attack went viral online.
Three videos were posted on messaging channels used by protesters showing a man in a green T-shirt arguing with people on a footbridge.
A masked man dressed in black then throws a liquid over the man and sets him ablaze as crowds scatter and the victim frantically tries to remove his T-shirt.
“In the most shocking incident, some rioters poured flammable liquid onto a person and set him on fire,” police spokesman John Tse told reporters at a press conference as the social media videos of the attack were played on a screen. “The man has been admitted to hospital in critical condition.”
The incident took place in the northern area of Ma On Shan, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the central business district, he said. It came during a tense day in Hong Kong, which has been engulfed for more than five months by increasingly
violent pro-democracy protests. Tse said shortly before the attack, masked protesters had trashed the nearby Ma On Shan train station and investigators believe the man “chased the rioters”. “Afterwards he was beaten up and set on fire,” Tse said.
Hong Kong police on Monday said a man was set alight following a heated argument with pro-democracy protesters during a day of widespread clashes across the city, as videos of the brutal attack went viral online.
Three videos were posted on messaging channels used by protesters showing a man in a green T-shirt arguing with people on a footbridge.
A masked man dressed in black then throws a liquid over the man and sets him ablaze as crowds scatter and the victim frantically tries to remove his T-shirt.
“In the most shocking incident, some rioters poured flammable liquid onto a person and set him on fire,” police spokesman John Tse told reporters at a press conference as the social media videos of the attack were played on a screen. “The man has been admitted to hospital in critical condition.”
The incident took place in the northern area of Ma On Shan, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the central business district, he said. It came during a tense day in Hong Kong, which has been engulfed for more than five months by increasingly
violent pro-democracy protests. Tse said shortly before the attack, masked protesters had trashed the nearby Ma On Shan train station and investigators believe the man “chased the rioters”. “Afterwards he was beaten up and set on fire,” Tse said.
