A US army veteran from Todmorden - who was infamously racially abuse on a tram in Manchester city centre - has blamed the Brexit campaign for his ordeal.

Juan Jasso, a Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer who lives in the Calderdale town, was targeted by three youths on a Metrolink service in the city.

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Video footage showed the rugby league coach being racially abused by three youths, after he decided to confront them regarding their rowdy behaviour and bad language.

Mr Jasso, a former US Army signals intelligence analyst, was labelled an 'immigrant' and told to 'get back for Africa' during the flare-up.

Later he told Channel 4 News: "Obviously it was really early in the morning, there were children about and I could tell from other people's faces on the tram they didn't really appreciate the language which they were using.

"So I thought I would step up and say something, and I didn't really appreciate it either."

Later two men, aged 20 and 18, and a 16-year-old youth were arrested by Greater Manchester Police on suspicion of causing an affray.

Mr Jasso said: "I think there was an undertone there before this Brexit and the voting within the referendum but I think the result maybe has pushed people to somehow justify that they think it's OK now to act out in this way which obviously it's not."