Hong Kong leader condemns London protester 'attack' on minister

Hong Kong's leer Carrie Lam on Thursday condemned a "barbaric attack" on her justice minister, who fell while being surrounded by a crowd of jeering pro-democracy protesters in London. It was most physical confrontation involving a member of Lam's cabinet since protests, w in ir sixth month, erupted in international finance hub.

Teresa Cheng, Hong Kong's deeply unpopular Secretary for Justice, was ambushed by around a dozen masked demonstrators as she prepared to attend a speaking event on Thursday night in London.

y shone torch lights on her while calling her a "murderer" and shouting slogans of Hong Kong pro-democracy protest movement.

Video of incident showed Cheng falling to floor during melee -- although it was t immediately clear if she was pushed by protesters.

She regained her feet moments later and was escorted away with visible signs of injury.

Cheng suffered "serious bodily harm" during altercation, Chief Executive Lam said in a statement.

Cheng, whose department is in charge of prosecuting protesters who have filled city streets for months, is first senior Hong Kong official to be injured in scuffles since unrest began in June.

Lam called on police in Britain -- Hong Kong's former colonial ruler -- to investigate, describing incident as an "attack" which "was barbaric and violated principles of a civilized society".

Cheng is in London on a visit to promote Hong Kong's role as a dispute resolution and deal-making hub.

She is one of most unpopular government officials in Hong Kong, seen as playing a key role in pushing forward w-shelved extrition bill to China, which sparked ongoing unrest.

protests have tapped into worsening violence with two de in a week and furr protests planned for Friday.

For a fifth straight day on Friday, protesters caused widespre disruption with barrices and rallies.

Overstretched police have drafted in reinforcements, while Hong Kong's government has denied rumors of an imminent curfew.

five-month crisis has entered a new phase in recent days with hardcore protesters embarking on a campaign to "blossom everywhere" across city in a bid to stretch police resources.