Is this the most iconic image -- and scene -- from the BLM protests in London?

When five friends decided to attend an anti-racism protest in London on Saturday, all they were hoping to do was to protect their younger allies from far-right thugs.

Forty-eight hours later, their heroism has created a defining image of the Black Lives Matter movement. They have won the praise of politicians, the adulation of social media, and the attention of newspaper front pages. And Patrick Hutchinson, the man photographed with an injured counter-protester hoisted over his shoulder, says his mother cannot stop crying.

“Everyone’s pretty proud,” he said, as the five men geared up for another round of interviews on Monday afternoon and dealt with a flood of messages. “I think a lot of people didn’t even realise it had happened until they saw the news, and loads of them have contacted me today. They’re not taking the mickey just yet. Every time mum sees my face on TV, she just goes.”

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While it was 49-year-old Hutchinson’s face that became part of the enduring image of the moment, he is clear that the five saved the counter-protester’s life by working together, with the other four – Pierre Noah, 47, Jamaine Facey, 43, Chris Otokito, 37, and Lee Russell, also 37 – forming a protective ring as Hutchinson moved the man away from the confrontation after his friends left him there.

Now they are equally determined to use their moment in the spotlight to put politicians under pressure to enact real change – starting with Boris Johnson, whose promise of a government commission to look into racial inequality is met with derision.

“How many reviews do you need?” asked Facey. “Everyone knows what the problem is. Everyone knows funding has been taken out of areas that it shouldn’t have been … We really need to stop talking and actually put some of the plans that are already there into action.”

“Invest in the community,” agreed Noah. Addressing the prime minister directly, he added: “We need funding, Mr Johnson. Help us. We’ve put our lives on the line. What is he ready to do?”

Noah said if he ever met the man they saved again, he would want to talk to him and try to “educate” him. “I’d ask: ‘Am I that bad? I just saved your life – am I a bad person because of the colour of my skin?’ I would love to ask him that question.”