A MAN HAS died during protests in Hong Kong after being hit on the head with a brick as protests continue. 

The police said they would investigate the death of a 70-year-old man as a murder case.

The man died of injuries last night and the Hong Kong government expressed outrage over what it called “the malicious acts of the rioters”.

Protesters in the city are demanding that the government commits to holding local elections on 24 November. 

Protesters, who had barricaded themselves in a Hong Kong university, partially cleared a road they were blocking and demanded the government commit to holding the elections at the end of the month.

One lane of the Tolo Highway was cleared in both directions on Friday morning, but the road remained closed after workers sent to clean up shattered glass and other remaining debris were threatened by protesters with bows and arrows and hard objects, authorities said.

Protesters wait for police to arrive outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University. SOPA Images / SIPA USA/PA Images SOPA Images / SIPA USA/PA Images / SIPA USA/PA Images

“Since the highway is still filled with hard objects and devoid of any road signs or traffic cones, reopening the road would certainly cause danger to road users,” a government statement said.

The protesters at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said the road would be blocked again and warned of other unspecified consequences if the government didn’t meet their demand within 24 hours.

The district council elections are seen as a barometer of public sentiment in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, which has been riven by anti-government protests for more than five months.

Pro-democracy activists say the government may use the escalating violence as a reason to cancel the elections

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London

In London, Hong Kong Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng was pushed to the ground by activists who were following her and shouting at her, injuring her hand, the Chinese Embassy said.

“We express strong indignation and unequivocally condemn the activists,” the embassy said in a statement. “Now, they are taking such violence abroad and into the UK.”

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam called the attack “barbaric” and said it violated the principles of a civilised society.

Students and other protesters have taken over major campuses in Hong Kong, building barricades and stockpiling gasoline bombs and other weapons.

A masked protester at Chinese University announced in a 3am statement to assembled media that the group would clear the road for 24 hours.