EXCLUSIVE - Baseball bat-wielding hero tells of dramatic moment he waded in to help Met Police officer grappling on ground with a suspect as baying mob took grinning selfies

• Officers were responding to an assault in Hackney, east London, when they were assaulted yesterday
• Both officers, a man and a woman, suffered minor injuries, with one of the officers being punched in the head 
• Two men, aged 20 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer and remain in police custody
• Home Secretary Priti Patel last night condemned the attack as 'sickening, shocking & disgraceful' in a tweet 
• Ken Marsh, who represents frontline officers, warned danger to his colleagues appears to be on the rise
• Did you see the incident? Email: tips@dailymail.com 

The brave hero seen brandishing a baseball bat in shocking footage of a Metropolitan Police officer being attacked by a mob in London has told today how he instinctively ran to help the helpless officer.

Kemran, who didn't want to give his surname, spotted the officer in trouble outside a block of flats in Hackney, east London, yesterday and ran downstairs to intervene before the officer was seriously hurt.

While others filmed the violent attack on their phones - with one grinning youth posing for a selfie next to the PC who was struggling with a suspect on the ground - Kemran tried to diffuse the situation.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the 23-year-old said: 'Nobody was doing anything other than film it on their mobile phones so I decided I had to help him.

'I would have done the same for anyone being attacked by a bigger group. If I'd seen a black guy being attacked by a group of white guys I'd go and help the black guy. 

Kemran acted as a shield for the officer while trying to ward away the small crowd who were still trying to aim punches and kicks. He told MailOnline today how he tried to reason with the youths, telling them to back off for their own good so they were not arrested. 

'The officer was hit and kicked a few times and I was doing my best to keep those guys away from him without being overly aggressive and making the situation much worse,' he said.

'I just saw a lone officer needing help and I knew if anything bad happened the whole estate would be given a bad name which is why I decided to step in.'

Recalling the drama, father-of-one Kemran told MailOnline today: 'I was in the living room yesterday afternoon when I heard a load of shouting outside so I went to the balcony to see what was going on.

'I could see a lone police officer on the grass outside the block being attacked by a group of men and he was heavily outnumbered. The officer was clearly in a very uncomfortable situation.

'I have a baseball bat that I use to play with the dog, I hit balls for her to chase down the park.

'I grabbed the bat and went downstairs. My aim was to not take any side but try and diffuse the tension.

'There is a lot of anger on the street at the moment between the black community and police. I was trying to tell these boys who had circled the officer to move back.

'I told them not to act on their anger as they would get into trouble. I was telling them that when other police got here all they would see is one of their colleagues on the floor after being attacked and they'd arrest everyone in sight, including me. I was concerned for them and concerned for the officer.

'I was shielding him as best I could to make sure people left him alone.' 

Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh praised Kemran's bravery, saying: 'The man seen with the baseball bat was actually trying to help the officer. He'd seen him being assaulted by a number of men and got himself in between the officer and his attackers. While others sought only to film the incident, this man did something to try and stop it and for that deserves a lot of praise.' 

Mr Marsh warned attacks on officers seem to be increasing as footage emerged of the shocking scenes, which unfolded yesterday on a London street and were filmed from a nearby car before appearing online.

They show a uniformed PC tackling a man to the ground in Hackney, northeast London, before other men aim punches and kicks at the officer and a man appears brandishing a baseball bat.

As a crowd gathers, rather than coming to the PC's aid, people instead pose for mobile phone selfies with the officer grappling in the background, and jostle with his female colleague.

Two men, aged 20 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer following the incident, which left both officers with minor injuries but not needing hospital treatment.

Home Secretary Priti Patel led the condemnation, describing the attack as 'sickening, shocking, disgraceful', while Mr Marsh said: 'We are not society's punchbags. We have families we want to go home to at the end of every shift. But the dangers are stark. And seemingly escalating.'

Meanwhile, the national chair of the Police Federation, John Apter, described the scenes as 'stomach-churning' and said: 'How dare people stand by and video my colleagues in distress?'  

The Metropolitan Police also issued a firm statement on Twitter this morning, which read: 'Yesterday, two officers from @MPSHackney were attacked whilst assisting someone in need of help.

'Officers should be able to go about their work, protecting the public, without fear of abuse or attack. Two men have been arrested.

'Being assaulted is not 'part of the job'.'

The suspect the policeman was tackling had been pointed out to police by members of the public following reports of an assault, the Met said last night and arrests were later made. 

Taking to Twitter after seeing the footage, Ms Patel branded it 'sickening, shocking and disgraceful'. 'My thoughts are with the outstanding officers who were subject to this disgusting violent attack,' she said. 

In another message, referencing the Met's tweet, she added: 'All assaults on our brave police are completely unacceptable.

'Perpetrators should be in no doubt that they will face the full force of the law. Actions have consequences.'

Hackney's own borough commander, Marcus Barnett, said: 'This is truly despicable & society should never accept such behaviour - we are here to protect you! The officers are safe, but clearly shaken & incredibly brave too. Arrests will be made... this must stop.' 

And London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'I utterly condemn the disgraceful attack on two Metropolitan Police officers.

'These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public. We owe them a debt of gratitude and I wish them a full and speedy recovery.

'Attacks on our police will not be tolerated. I urge anyone with information to come forward to ensure the perpetrators of this disgusting attack feel the full force of the law.' 

The two officers were flagged down at 3.30pm yesterday afternoon by a member of the public who reported an assault. The victim pointed out their attacker and officers went to speak to those involved, the Met said.

A force spokesman said: 'As an officer attempted to speak with those involved, one of the men resisted and a struggle ensued. A number of other people became involved whilst the officer was on the ground.'

Footage shared online shows a uniformed officer with his arm around a suspect's neck.

He appears to try and throw the suspect to the ground, but instead they both end up on their backs.

As the officer calls for backup, the man he was trying to detain repeatedly shouts 'Leave me the f*** alone,' while holding one of the officer's wrists.

Four people, two on bikes, quickly crowd around the altercation. Two more men arrive, one carrying a baseball bat.

Seconds later, a punch appears to land on the back of the officer's head, who is still on the floor.

As one member of the crowd leans over to shout at the officer, his colleague arrives at the scene and screams at the crowd to 'get back'.

When she attempts to push the crowd away, they grab at her arms and begin to shout at her.

One of the crowd then dances in front of the altercation, while appearing to take a selfie.

In a separate video, members of the crowd are seen kicking at the female officer's legs as she tries to break apart her colleague from the suspect.

Superintendent Martin Rolston, from the Central East Command Unit, said: 'This incident, which was captured on someone's mobile phone is truly shocking.

'My officers went to the assistance of a member of the public – who asked for their help – after stating that they had been assaulted. What happened next is a reminder of the risks our officers take whilst going about their duties.

'It is fortunate that their injuries are not more serious. There is no place for this level of violence on our streets.

'We are engaging with our community partners to discuss what happened and I hope that anyone who witnessed what happened comes forward and speaks with us.'

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, slammed the 'horrific, stomach-churning scenes'. 

'Disgusting behaviour from those who attack the officers, those who film what's going on and those who do nothing. They are cowards, the lot of them,' he said.

In an interview on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, he said there had been a 27 per cent increase in officers being injured in assaults over the last 12 months, while there were more than 30,000 attacks on officers in England and Wales alone in 2018/19 - equivalent to 85 every single day.

He added: 'I've got mixed feelings on things being videoed, because on one hand, how dare people stand by and video my colleagues in distress? 

'Far too many stand back rather than assist anybody in trouble. I accept we have to manage our own risks but when people are in trouble, as a citizen you should step forward. 

'It's almost like a hobby now for some to video an attack on a police officer and put it on social media - not to assist an investigation but to mock my colleagues and to almost encourage violence against them.

'Our colleagues need to be given the equipment and support to be able to defend themselves and other members of the public and sometimes we worry too much about what things look like on our television screens rather than the safety of my colleagues.'

Mayor of Hackney Phillip Glanville told followers: 'Anyone seeing these videos tonight will be as shocked & horrified as I am by this attack on two Hackney police officers. My thoughts are with both officers & praise their bravery when faced with this situation. Our police are here to protect us & scenes like this are unacceptable.'

A spokesman said: 'We recognise and understand the anger felt by the black community and are fully committed to playing our part in ending racism, discrimination and inequality', adding: 'There are no plans to change the name of the hospital'. 

Today Boris Johnson's Business and Industry Minister Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Iraq and moved to the UK with his Kurdish parents aged nine, said there should be no statues of slave traders in Britain.

Mr Zahawi said they should not be torn down illegally like Edward Colston's in Bristol, but said: 'Any slave trader should not have a statue. But I wouldn't be breaking the law to take statues down, it should be done through our democratic process. It should be up to local people to decide what they want to do. If the majority of people decide that we want the statues down, then they should be taken down'.

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Now at least 72 memorials honouring colonial figures have been targeted for destruction of activists on its 'Topple the Racists' website and yesterday they forced the removal of 18th Century slave dealer Robert Milligan from outside the Museum of London in West India Quay, Docklands. 

The removal of a statue of the so-called 'Tyrant of Trinidad' Sir Thomas Picton from Cardiff city hall is nearing success as all of Labour's 130 UK local authorities agreed to draw up a list of controversial statues in their communities which could be ripped down after Edward Colston's was destroyed in Bristol on Sunday.  

Cardiff City Council's leader Huw Thomas has backed the campaign to rip it down calling it an 'affront' to black people in the Welsh capital because he executed dozens of slaves. He was even put on trial in England for illegally torturing a 14-year-old girl - extremely rare at the turn of the 19th century - but after being convicted he successfully appealed. 

While noting Picton's statue commemorated his part in the Napoleonic Wars and being the highest ranking officer to die at Waterloo, Councillor Thomas said: 'The growing awareness and understanding of the brutal nature of his governorship of Trinidad and his involvement in slavery makes it, in my view, very difficult to reconcile his presence in City Hall'. 

A 25ft obelisk dedicated to him on the outskirts of Carmarthen town centre, which has been there since 1888, is also subject to a petition for removal. It stands on Picton Terrace, which also faces calls to be renamed.

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There are at least five statues of two-time British prime minister Sir Robert Peel also under threat because his MP father, also called Robert Peel, campaigned for slavery to continue. His son is considered the father of the modern police, after setting up the Met as Home Secretary in 1829. Some BLM supporters are also angry because of his links to policing. 

In Edinburgh SNP city council leader Adam McVey said he would feel 'no sense of loss' if a statue to Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery, was removed, amid mounting calls for action in the Scottish capital. 

Also in Scotland a memorial to General James George Smith Neill, which stands in Wellington Square, Ayr, is also under threat. General Neill served during the Indian rebellion of 1857 and accused of ordering the deaths of many Indians following the Bibighar massacre. 

Plymouth council said a public square named after slave trader Sir John Hawkins would be renamed while in nearby Exeter council chiefs will review the future of the city's statue of General Buller, who is rumoured to have had a hand in the introduction of concentration camps seen during the Boer War. 

A debate has erupted over the legacy of 19th century prime minister Sir Robert Peel after those calling for his statues to be removed were accused of targeting the wrong man.

Lancashire-born Sir Robert, who is best known for founding the Metropolitan Police, is immortalised in a number of statues across the north of England and Scotland.

Five of these - in Leeds, Glasgow, Bury, Manchester and Preston - were included on a map of possible other targets following the toppling of the monument to Edward Colston in Bristol.

The Glasgow statue was daubed with graffiti at the weekend.

But many people have come to the two-time PM's defence, suggesting anti-racist campaigners may have got the wrong Sir Robert.