At least five people have been injured in a knife attack at a pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong on November 3.

The stabbing happened at the Cityplaza mall in the Tai Koo district.

According to the local hospital authority, four men and one woman were injured, with two in critical condition.

One of the injured, a local councilor, had his ear partially bitten off by the as-yet unidentified male attacker, who was subdued by passersby in the mall.

According to witnesses, the Mandarin-speaking attacker drew a knife after a political argument with people in the mall, which was the site of pro-democracy protests earlier in the day.

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The local councilor, Andrew Chiu Ka-yin, reportedly was attempting to prevent the attacker leaving the scene when the man bit off a section of his ear. Witnesses said the attacker was badly beaten by passersby who intervened, before police arrested the man.

The injured woman told the South China Morning Post that the attacker drew a knife after arguing with her sister and her husband, who were also injured.

According to the Hong Kong Free Press, the attacker was a Mandarin-speaking pro-Beijing supporter.

Hong Kong has experienced five months of sometimes violent demonstrations by pro-democracy activists, who first took to the streets to protest against a bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China, but evolved into a broader revolt against the way Hong Kong is administered by Beijing.

The pro-democracy protests continued this weekend, days after a high-profile activist, Joshua Wong, was banned from standing in local elections.

Police fired tear gas into crowds of demonstrators in the eastern suburb of Taikoo Shing, home to the Cityplaza where the knife attack occurred.