You can tell this Hipster Cop is not like the others -- he's all about artisinal donuts and locally-sourced coffee.
The officer in question was one of hundreds called in when a far-right group called the English Defense league demonstrated in Walthamstow, London, on Saturday. There were hundreds of anti-fascist protesters there too, and police arrived to keep the peace.
The elegantly-bearded officer was captured on film by photographer Guy Smallman. Opinions differed on the coolness of his beard:
I know that hipsters like looking uncool but this is ridiculous! #riotpolice #walthamstow #hipstercop #fecalbeard pic.twitter.com/J8VvBeuFMl— Guy Smallman (@GuySmallman) May 9, 2015
The police officer's identity is not yet known, but his stunning, gingery beard with perfectly coiffed handlebar mustache quickly earned him an Internet badge of honor: #HipsterCop.
People have been tweeting dozens of jokes about the officer -- taking affectionate shots at hipster tropes like vintage style obsession and DIY.
Another officer who was at the march, Sergeant Nathan Shickle, noticed the meme -- and apparently was standing next to the officer as the hashtag went viral.
Shickle said on Twitter that he and Hipster Cop were both having a laugh about the whole Twitter craze in real-time.
I'm standing next to #HipsterCop right now, having a good old chuckle at some of the captions.— Sgt Nathan Shickle (@MPSBatterseaSgt) May 10, 2015
Mashable has reached out to the Sergeant Shickle to learn the true identity of Hipster Cop, and is waiting for a response.
But yeah, you've probably never heard of him.
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