Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan was punched in the face and had a banana shoved at his mouth on a street in Tuen Mun yesterday in an attack condemned by the government and lawmakers.
The unionist was collecting signatures in support of the introduction of old age pensions when a middle-aged man walked up to the table he was sitting at, wrote down his ID number and next to it the name of 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, then began turning over the tables and throwing papers on the floor.
He began hitting union staff and bystanders with his walking stick, then struck Mr Lee and tried to feed him a banana, Mr Lee said.
Mr Lee, 51, general secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, and an aide were taken to Tuen Mun Hospital with minor facial injuries. Both were discharged after treatment.
Police arrested a 58-year-old man in connection with the incident.
Mr Lee said he had not been threatened recently, did not know the attacker and had no idea why he had assaulted him.
It is the first time the pan-democrat has been subjected to physical attack since he became a legislator in the mid-1990s.