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He said the family were "acutely aware" there were "extremists of all sides who are keen to hijack this incident for their own ends".

The family of a man who was kicked in the head by police at Manchester Airport has appealed for "calm in all the communities", an MP has said.


Paul Waugh, Rochdale MP, said the "traumatised" family wanted to make it clear they had "no political agenda whatsoever" and did not condone political violence.

Anger over the video led to protests outside Rochdale police station on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with another protest also held in Manchester city centre on Thursday.

Mr Waugh said the family would not be attending any protests or giving any media interviews as they wanted their privacy protected.

"The strong message they wanted to give is that they have no political agenda whatsoever," he told BBC Breakfast.

"They wanted me to issue an appeal for calm among all sorts of different communities in Rochdale.

"We've had a history of unfortunate division in our town and we do not want to go back to those days."

He said the family were "acutely aware" there were "extremists of all sides who are keen to hijack this incident for their own ends".

"The family are not interested in that at all," he added.

Footage was shared online of a Greater Manchester Police firearms officer - who has since been suspended - kicking and stamping on a man as he lay prone on the floor.

The force said the officer's actions had come after he and other colleagues were "violently attacked" in a car park in Terminal 2 at about 20:30 BST on Tuesday.

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