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Hong Kong protests: Man fighting for life after being set on fire by activists

A man has been set on fire in a shocking display of violence following an apparent dispute over national identity in Hong Kong.

The victim is currently fighting for his life in a city hospital, after he was doused with liquid and set alight during a confrontation with protesters.

Video posted online shows him arguing with a group of young people, before someone douses him with a liquid and flicks open a lighter.

The man suffered second-degree burns on 28 per cent of his body, mainly on his chest and arms, according to South China Morning Post.

News of the incident comes after a Hong Kong protester was shot by police amid rush hour demonstrations.

The police shooting was also captured on video, as demonstrators blocked railway lines and roads during the morning rush hour to push their demands for democratic reforms.

The clip shows an officer moving away a group of protesters at a road junction, then drawing his gun on a masked protester in a white hooded sweatshirt who approaches him.

As the two struggle, another protester in black approaches, and the officer points his gun at the second one.

He then fires at the stomach of the second protester, who falls to the ground.

The officer appeared to fire again as a third protester in black joined the tussle.

The protester in white manages to flee, bounding up a nearby stairway, and the officer and a colleague pin the two in black to the ground.

Police said that only one protester was hit and he was undergoing surgery.

A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong hospital authority said the person shot was in critical condition.

Hong Kong is in the sixth month of protests that began over a proposed extradition law and have expanded to include demands for greater democracy and police accountability.

Activists argue Hong Kong's autonomy and Western-style civil liberties are eroding despite promises made when the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.

The escalation in violence from both sides follows the death of a student on Friday from injuries suffered after he fell from a multi story car park.

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Hong Kong protester in critical condition after being shot by police