The white counter-protestor who was carried to safety by a Black Lives Matter protestor has been revealed to be a former officer at British Transport Police, as confirmed by the police force.
The rescue, which was photographed and widely circulated on social media, involved ex-officer Bryn Male, who has yet to speak out about the events which led to Patrick Hutchinson being praised as a hero.
Bryn retired from the force in September 2014 and worked in the London area for British Transport Police and was recently a detective constable. Now a delivery driver, Bryn had joined football supporters who had travelled to London on the day the BLM protests took place, to reportedly “protect monuments after seeing graffiti”.
Patrick, who is a personal trainer, had attended the anti-racism protests, however, in an effort to protect younger allies from far-right counter-protestors.
Speaking to the Guardian, he said he wanted the famous image of the moment in which he brought Bryn to safety, to be a unifying one, adding: “I hope it’ll change the minds of those who are sitting on the fence, who aren’t sure about this whole thing. I hope it can galvanise us as human beings and bring us together.”
Relatives of the ex-police officer have allegedly said he would be willing to thank the BLM protestor for his gracious act, but there is yet to be any public comment made by him.