White man saved by Black Lives Matter protester in London is former police officer

He is an ex-cop.

The white man being rescued by the black man in the now famous photograph was identified as Bryn Male, 55, a former police officer and detective constable for the British Transport Police, the service committed to protect rail passengers from crime.

He was rescued from a violent confrontation by Patrick Hutchison, a personal trainer who works for a security company.

Male was among hundreds of right-wing protesters who took to the streets of London on Saturday, ostensibly to defend national monuments - including a statue of Winston Churchill - from Black Lives Matter protesters. The Churchill monument earlier was marred by graffiti branding the wartime leader as a racist.

Male was described as a committed supporter of the Millwall soccer team, known for its rowdy followers. He had a tattoo honoring the team on his calf. 

A fellow member of the club said Male was "a patriotic Brit, England through and through," according to the Daily Mail. Another told the newspaper that Male was part of a group of soccer supporters who often went to protests in London.

Some of the white counterdemonstrators on Saturday attacked police. Journalists at the scene reported that many of the men appeared drunk.

One protester on Male's side, Andrew Banks, 28, of Stansted, Essex, was photographed urinating next to a memorial to Keith Palmer, a police officer who was stabbed to death in a 2017 terrorist attack at Westminster.

Banks later said he had consumed 16 pints of beer the night before and could not find a toilet. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail for investigation of offending public decency.

Bryn Male retired from the British Transport Police in 2014, the agency confirmed, and now works as a delivery driver, his family said.

Speaking to the Sun newspaper, Bryn Male's son Harry Male, 21, said his father had a black eye after the protest. 

Asked if his father would like to thank Hutchinson, Harry Male told the newspaper: "He probably would. Who wouldn't?"

Male now lives in Basingstoke, a town about 55 miles west of London. 

The Basingstoke Gazette reported that he is also the vice chairman of a private members club. His description on the website says he "spends most of his time holding court in the Sports Bar but does sometimes venture into the lounge. Millwall fan."

Hutchinson told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" show on Wednesday that Male had not reached out to him. 

Asked whether he could have a conversation with him, he said, "I don't have much to say to him, or anything to say to him." 

The broadcaster also aired a video posted on Instagram showing the moment Hutchinson's 10-year-old daughter saw him on television. She and her young friends, standing inches from the television, jumped up and down, squealing with delight. 

British tabloids called Hutchinson a "hero," and accolades have poured forth on social media from politicians and ordinary folk. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said "Patrick Hutchinson's instincts in that moment represent the best of us."

The effects of the Black Lives Movement protests continue to reverberate in Britain.

England's Premier League, the richest soccer league in the world, resumed its season on Wednesday night, with players taking a knee and wearing jerseys that said "Black Lives Matter" on the back in place of their names.