Riot cop shoots Brazilian Occupy protester at point-blank range

A police officer in the middle of an Occupy protest in Brazil has shot a demonstrator with a rubber bullet at point-blank range in apparent retribution for having his hat knocked off.

Video of the incident, uploaded to YouTube yesterday, shows a line of protesters carrying a banner through the streets of Recife as part of the Occupy Estelita movement, which opposes a proposed development in the area.

The demonstrators lift the banner above their heads in order to clear a riot cop standing in their path. But as they pass the diminutive man, the banner appears to brush his beret, knocking it to the ground.

The officer barely hesitates before priming his pump-action shotgun and firing it at one of the standard bearers from a distance of perhaps two or three metres.

The crowd erupts in outrage at the incident, booing and hurling abuse and rubbish at the police, who meander sheepishly away from the scene while the crowd, spurred on by the violence, continues its march.

The officer has reportedly been suspended.