The everyday items used by a pair of British brothers to detain a stabbing suspect in Sydney have been immortalised in a Twitter meme.

Luke and Paul O'Shaughnessy, from Bury in Greater Manchester, said they acted on instinct as they saw a man wielding a large blade running through the streets of the Australian city centre on Tuesday.

Racing down from their fourth-floor office, the brothers chased the attacker before tackling him to the ground and helping pin him down with a chair and milk crate.

View photos The suspected Sydney attacker was pinned to the floor by a chair and a milk crate (Andrew Denney/7 News/PA) More

View photos British brother Luke O'Shaughnessy (left) and Paul O'Shaughnessy have been hailed as heroes by police for their actions (PA) More

Now the hashtag #milkcrate has gone viral and praised the actions of the brothers while mocking US attitudes to gun laws at the same time.

After actor Russell Crowe tweeted “Make Australia crate again”, the rest of Twitter picked up on his pun of Donald Trump’s election-winning slogan - and highlighted how the O’Shaughnessy brothers did not need guns to stop an attacker:

Let’s make Australia crate again — Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) August 13, 2019

America - Walmart - gunman.

Multiple other people carrying guns - didn’t stop the gunman.



Sydney - guy with a knife - taken down by a crowd with a chair and a milk crate.



Aussie Aussie Aussie #milkcrate — Just Jan (@janr572) August 13, 2019

Ohio: *9 dead after Police arrive in 1 minute*



Sydney: *one casualty after Police arrive in 40 minutes*



Americans: sEe BaNnInG gUnS wOnT dO aNyThInG#milkcrate — Liz Saunders (@saunders_liz) August 13, 2019

Dear America. I have a #MilkCrate. It protects my family, and yet, I don't even have to keep in a safe, get it licensed, or worry that one of my children might accidentally use it to shoot someone. — Lateralist (@Lateralist76) August 13, 2019

Both brothers said they were "proud" of their actions, but denied they were heroes - despite police and the country's prime minister commending them for helping to tackle the suspect.

Paul, 37, a former midfielder with crisis-club Bury between 1999 and 2004, said: "I didn't even think about it.

"I just thought is my brother going to be OK as we ran towards him.”

He added: "Our values as brothers is we are protectors.”

View photos The suspect in the attack was named as 21-year-old Mert Ney (Andrew Denney/7 News/PA) More

New South Wales Police Superintendent Gavin Wood, speaking to reporters near the scene, praised the men who tackled the suspect, also said to have included Manchester man Lee Cuthbert.

Mr Wood said: "They are significantly brave people. They approach the person... with clear evidence of a stabbing previously. These people are heroes, and I want to acknowledge that.

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