THIS is the heartwarming moment an elderly Muslim man tried to calm tensions with hugs as riots raged in East London last night.
Fires were lit in the streets of Forest Gate and protesters clashed with police following a protest after 25-year-old Edir Frederico Da Costa's death six days after he was stopped by police.
Footage shows an older Muslim man holding hands with a distressed young man who describes himself as a "brother" of Edir - known as Edson.
In the clip, the young man says: "Do you know I am to him? I'm his brother. His mum is my mum's sister."
The older man reaches up to give him a hug, telling him "I'm sorry" and "I feel what you're saying".
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The upset young man also claimed a policewoman had "laughed in his face".
Demonstrators allege Costa was “brutally beaten” by police officers days before he died.
Campaigners shouted “we want justice” as they stood toe-to-toe with riot cops during protests on Sunday.
Six police officers were injured – including four taken to hospital – during the clashes in Forest Gate and Stratford nearby over his death.
Four people were arrested for offences including disorder, arson and criminal damage in connection with the incident.
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The clip was posted on the Newham People's Alliance Facebook group last night.
The post said: "An elderly [man] using hugging technique to defuse tense stand off with police.
"This is the oldest technique in history.
"Hug someone angry and he would calm down... #SpreadPeace #spreadLove"
Commenter Nida Ahmed said: "This is humanity! One hug can change everything!"
And Shah Abdul said: "A hug is very powerful, people just don't understand or know it. If only people did hugs like this more often."
Tensions spiralled in a clash at Stratford bus station yesterday afternoon before street fires were started and cars set alight after crowds marched to a police station just a mile away in Forest Gate.
Videos of small fires littering the roads in East London accompanied the hashtag "Justice for Edson", following on from the earlier protests.
One demonstrator earlier rode his motorcycle riot up to a line of officers and revved his bike, sending smoke billowing into their faces.
Bins were set on fire on the Romford Road as by midnight the group of angry protesters was said to have reached 200.
A force spokesman said: "A number of objects were thrown towards officers. A small number of fires - involving the contents of litter bins - were also set in the street. These were quickly dealt with by the London Fire Brigade.
"At 10.50pm the size of the protest had significantly reduced but the protesters remained in the area.
"Shortly after 11.10pm, the main crowd dispersed into a number of smaller groups and again officers had items thrown at them.
Who was Edir Frederico da Costa?
Edir Frederico da Costa, 25, died on Wednesday 21 June.
Only six days earlier he had been arrested in East London during which police used CS spray.
He had been in a car with two other people in Beckton at the time.
Shortly after he fell ill and was rushed to hospital following first aid.
He died six days later.
A post mortem has since concluded there is no evidence severe force was used on Costa.
But his family say he suffered a broken neck and severe head injuries.
"Six officers were injured, four of whom were taken to hospital for medical treatment. These include a male police sergeant who suffered facial injuries and a female police constable who suffered head injuries."
There were no reports of injuries among members of the public or of "significant damage" to property, and the "vast majority" of protesters had dispersed by 3am on Monday.
The force said: "Four people have been arrested. One person was arrested on suspicion of disorder offences; three others were arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.
"They have all been taken to east London police stations where they remain in custody."
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the treatment of Mr Da Costa, who died six days after he was stopped by police and detained on June 15.
On Friday it posted a statement on Twitter, which read: "Today we have contacted Mr Da Costa's family to share with them the findings from the pathologist and we are now able to correct some misinformation that is being widely shared on social media.
"The preliminary post mortem found that Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck, or any other spinal injury during his interaction with the police."
However Scotland Yard believes Mr Da Costa swallowed a "large quantity" of drugs, which could have led to his death.
Borough Commander Superintendent Ian Larnder faced the angry crowd as he answered questions about the death on Sunday afternoon.
Campaigners claim his neck was broken and he suffered head and other injuries after he was stopped in a car, with three other people, by Met officers.
A flurry of angry comments such as "you are protecting them" and "you have told us what you can't do, now tell us what you can do" were hurled at Mr Larnder as members of the crowd pressed him about alleged police brutality.
More questions and disbelieving comments drowned him out as he told the crowd: "I am here because l care deeply about what is going on."
He also said: "Police officers are all accountable to the law, they are being investigated.
"I genuinely feel for you. I will ring the IPCC and ask them what are you doing."
When one of the campaigners asked if the officers involved in the incident were still working, he said: "I am pretty sure they have not been suspended but removed from operational duties."
The crowd later began marching to Forest Gate police station shouting "we want justice" and "justice for Edson" to the beat of a drum.
It was reported bricks were pulled from a wall and thrown at police as the family of Mr Da Costa said the violence on London's streets was not coming from them.
Mr Da Costa had come to Britain from Portugal in 1996 and was a dad to a young boy.
His girlfriend is pregnant with his second child - a fundraising page was set up after his death to help with funeral and legal costs.
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