The father of the toddler who is being held hostage by the British National Health Service has asked the public to ‘stand down’ with their activism.

In a statement to the press, Tom Evans asked that the supporters of Alfie Evans’ struggle for life – known as #AlfiesArmy – return to their normal lives in order to give the family a chance to “build a bridge” with the hospital in which Alfie has been confined to.

“We are very grateful and we appreciate all the support we have received from around the world, including from our Italian and Polish supporters, who have dedicated their time and support to our incredible fight.

“We would now ask you to return to your everyday lives and allow myself, Kate and Alder Hey to form a relationship, build a bridge and walk across it.

“We also wish to thank Alder Hey staff at every level for their dignity and professionalism during what must be an incredibly difficult time for them too.

“Together we recognise the strains recent events have put upon us all, and we now wish for privacy for everyone concerned.”

In an interview just hours earlier Evans had lashed out against the staff of Alder Hey, saying he and Alfie’s mother had been treated like “criminals”.

He said: “They hate us. they don’t like us. We’re not like them.

“(They hate us) because I’ve fought against them for so long and I’m right.

“It’s a mis-diagnosis they have chose to leave Alfie like that for months and months.

“We’ve done our best to work with them but they have acted so aggressively towards us,” he continued.

“We walk around the corridors and they pop into other cubicles to avoid us.

“They give us some horrible smug look as if we’re in the wrong. It’s like we’re criminals – I feel like I’m in a maximum security and I’m just getting looked down upon.”

It isn’t hard to imagine the immense pressure Alfie’s family is under as they are forced to beg their own government to even allow their child nourishment or to leave the hospital to spend what might be his final hours at home. It has already been determined that Alfie – who was only diagnosed by one team of doctors before being declared a hopeless case – will not even be permitted to leave the country for charitable medical treatment by a Vatican hospital in Rome.

Alfie’s family has already demonstrated their determination to do whatever it takes to save his life and ease his suffering as he continues to breathe on his own ,despite Alder Hey’s prognosis that he would die within minutes of being removed from life support. It is no surprise to hear Tom Evans try to quell the growing outrage. No doubt his lawyers advised him that to continue to aggravate and shame authorities would only drive them to spite the family.

It’s sickening to know that the pride of bureaucrats is so warped in Great Britain that it would completely strip their ability to empathize with the grieving family desperate to save their child. Perhaps Alfie’s parents and supporters have been angry and “uncooperative”…wouldn’t you be if it were your child being sentenced to die when it is not at all clear death is the only option? Any parent would do anything to save the life of their child.

And that obviously includes unfairly humbling oneself in order to satiate the disgusting pride of their oppressors.