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Revision as of 12:19, 31 May 2021 editJim Michael (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users136,973 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit Revision as of 15:51, 1 June 2021 edit undoMr Miles (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,098 edits Far too much emphasis given to the views of TTIP, not balanced.Next edit →
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== Shooting == == Shooting ==
On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head. The ] were notified of the attack, in ], London, around 3{{nbsp}}a.m.<ref name="Guardian shot"/><ref name="BBC shot">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57223755 |title= Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot in London |work=] |last=Donnison |first=Jon |last2=Wills |first2=Ella |date=24 May 2021 |accessdate=24 May 2021}}</ref> TTIP said Johnson had previously received numerous death threats for her activism and her car was vandalised a month before the incident.<ref name="Tele shot"/><ref name="Tele charges">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/25/black-lives-matter-activist-injured-shooting-facing-prosecution/|title=Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer|work=]|date=25 May 2021|accessdate=26 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/black-lives-matter-activist-injured-in-shooting-is-facing-prosecution-for-racially-abusing-police-officer/ar-AAKnmMB?li=BBoPWjQ|access-date=2021-05-26|work=The Telegraph |via=Microsoft News}}</ref> According to a friend, Johnson was not the intended target of the shooting.<ref name="BBC shot"/> A police spokesperson said a few hours later that the investigation was at an early stage, that they had no knowledge of prior threats<ref name="mehta">{{cite web|last=Mehta|first=Amar|date=25 May 2021|title=Sasha Johnson: Black equal rights activist shot by group of four men at south London party, police say|url=https://news.sky.com/story/sasha-johnson-shooting-of-black-equal-rights-activist-by-group-of-men-not-targeted-attack-police-say-12316468|publisher=]|accessdate=25 May 2021}}</ref> and that no-one had yet been arrested over the incident.<ref>{{cite news |title=Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'not intended target' of drive-by shooting at party, says friend |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-05-24/black-lives-matter-activist-sasha-johnson-not-intended-target-of-drive-by-shooting-at-party-says-friend |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=ITV News |date=24 May 2021}}</ref> On 25 May, police were reported as saying that Johnson "had been shot by a group of four black men" while attending a party; Metropolitan Police Commander Alison Heydari said the men had "entered the garden of the property and discharged a firearm".<ref>{{cite web|title=Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot by group of men| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57238301| website= ]| date= 25 May 2021| accessdate= 25 May 2021 }}</ref> TTIP criticised the police statement that nothing indicated the attack was targeted, asking how police were able to say that Johnson had not received credible threats without speaking to her,<ref name="mehta" /> and said there was no evidence the shooting was carried out by four black males, as " have multiple sources present at the incident who have confirmed to us that the attackers were all wearing balaclavas".<ref name=":1" /> TTIP said they were "disgusted by the way that this narrative has been portrayed as a 'Black on Black crime' and a 'gang crime,' not acknowledging that this is a hate crime or a targeted attack at worst".<ref name=":2" /> On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head. The ] were notified of the attack, in ], London, around 3{{nbsp}}a.m.<ref name="Guardian shot"/><ref name="BBC shot">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57223755 |title= Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot in London |work=] |last=Donnison |first=Jon |last2=Wills |first2=Ella |date=24 May 2021 |accessdate=24 May 2021}}</ref> TTIP said Johnson had previously received numerous death threats for her activism and her car was vandalised a month before the incident.<ref name="Tele shot"/><ref name="Tele charges">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/25/black-lives-matter-activist-injured-shooting-facing-prosecution/|title=Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer|work=]|date=25 May 2021|accessdate=26 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/black-lives-matter-activist-injured-in-shooting-is-facing-prosecution-for-racially-abusing-police-officer/ar-AAKnmMB?li=BBoPWjQ|access-date=2021-05-26|work=The Telegraph |via=Microsoft News}}</ref> According to a friend, Johnson was not the intended target of the shooting.<ref name="BBC shot"/> A police spokesperson said a few hours later that the investigation was at an early stage, that they had no knowledge of prior threats<ref name="mehta">{{cite web|last=Mehta|first=Amar|date=25 May 2021|title=Sasha Johnson: Black equal rights activist shot by group of four men at south London party, police say|url=https://news.sky.com/story/sasha-johnson-shooting-of-black-equal-rights-activist-by-group-of-men-not-targeted-attack-police-say-12316468|publisher=]|accessdate=25 May 2021}}</ref> and that no-one had yet been arrested over the incident.<ref>{{cite news |title=Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'not intended target' of drive-by shooting at party, says friend |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-05-24/black-lives-matter-activist-sasha-johnson-not-intended-target-of-drive-by-shooting-at-party-says-friend |access-date=24 May 2021 |work=ITV News |date=24 May 2021}}</ref> On 25 May, police were reported as saying that Johnson "had been shot by a group of four black men" while attending a party; Metropolitan Police Commander Alison Heydari said the men had "entered the garden of the property and discharged a firearm".<ref>{{cite web|title=Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot by group of men| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57238301| website= ]| date= 25 May 2021| accessdate= 25 May 2021 }}</ref>


A vigil was held for Johnson outside ] on the evening of 24 May, arranged by the UK chapter of the organisation Black Lives Matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/23/uk/sasha-johnson-blm-shot-london-intl-hnk/index.html|title=Black Lives Matter activist in critical condition after being shot in head in London|publisher=]|last=Yeung|first=Jessie|last2=Fleet|first2=Maria|last3=Bashir|first3=Nada|date=25 May 2021|accessdate=25 May 2021}}</ref> As of 28 May, Johnson is still in a ].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Guardian shot"/><ref name="Tele shot">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/23/black-lives-matter-activist-shot-head-numerous-death-threats/ |title=Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'shot in the head after numerous death threats' |work=The Telegraph |last=Lyons|first=Izzy|date=24 May 2021|accessdate=24 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Man charged in connection with attempted murder of activist Sasha Johnson|url=https://news.sky.com/story/man-charged-in-connection-with-attempted-murder-of-activist-sasha-johnson-12319600|access-date=2021-05-28|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref> A vigil was held for Johnson outside ] on the evening of 24 May, arranged by the UK chapter of the organisation Black Lives Matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/23/uk/sasha-johnson-blm-shot-london-intl-hnk/index.html|title=Black Lives Matter activist in critical condition after being shot in head in London|publisher=]|last=Yeung|first=Jessie|last2=Fleet|first2=Maria|last3=Bashir|first3=Nada|date=25 May 2021|accessdate=25 May 2021}}</ref> As of 28 May, Johnson is still in a ].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Guardian shot"/><ref name="Tele shot">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/23/black-lives-matter-activist-shot-head-numerous-death-threats/ |title=Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'shot in the head after numerous death threats' |work=The Telegraph |last=Lyons|first=Izzy|date=24 May 2021|accessdate=24 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Man charged in connection with attempted murder of activist Sasha Johnson|url=https://news.sky.com/story/man-charged-in-connection-with-attempted-murder-of-activist-sasha-johnson-12319600|access-date=2021-05-28|website=Sky News|language=en}}</ref>

Revision as of 15:51, 1 June 2021

British activist For the composer, see Sasha Johnson Manning.
Sasha Johnson
EducationRuskin College
OccupationPolitical activist
Political partyTaking The Initiative Party

Sasha Johnson (born 1993/94) is a British Black Lives Matter activist and member of Taking The Initiative Party (TTIP). A graduate of Ruskin College, she has been involved in Rhodes Must Fall, Black Lives Matter and Kill the Bill protests.

On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head. Two days later, five people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, one of whom was charged.

Background

Johnson graduated with a degree in community development and youth work from Ruskin College. She called herself "Oxford's Black Panther". Johnson has volunteered for food insecurity initiatives. She works in community support and as a youth worker.

Activism

Johnson campaigned for the Oxford Rhodes Must Fall campaign. She participated in the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. In response to a counter-protest which included a far-right presence with the stated intention of protecting war memorials, Johnson told the The Guardian: "We're painted as thugs when the real thugs are disguised as protecting those memorials. And when they're drunk, they piss on those memorials." In August 2020, Johnson was an organiser for the Million People March, an anti-racist demonstration in London attended by around 400 people. In March 2021, Johnson was co-signatory to a statement alleging that police were targeting some Black protesters who participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests by name, including by repeated phone calls, to deter them from engaging in Kill the Bill protests.

In summer 2020, Johnson was involved in the founding of the Taking The Initiative Party (TTIP); she serves on its Executive Leadership Committee. Sky News reported that the party was registered with the Electoral Commission around 2017. The party supports the decentralised Black Lives Matter movement but is unaffiliated with the specific organisation Black Lives Matter. Though the party considered running for the 2021 London mayoral election (originally scheduled for 2020) under the name "Black Lives Matter for the GLA", its first candidates for office stood in the May 2021 local elections.

TTIP said that a Twitter account purporting to be Johnson, and which they characterised as fake, made numerous Tweets, including one calling for white people to be enslaved. The account was suspended by Twitter in accordance with its platform-manipulation and spam policy. However, the messages have been widely circulated on social media, by users claiming them to be real.

Shooting

On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head. The Metropolitan Police were notified of the attack, in Peckham, London, around 3 a.m. TTIP said Johnson had previously received numerous death threats for her activism and her car was vandalised a month before the incident. According to a friend, Johnson was not the intended target of the shooting. A police spokesperson said a few hours later that the investigation was at an early stage, that they had no knowledge of prior threats and that no-one had yet been arrested over the incident. On 25 May, police were reported as saying that Johnson "had been shot by a group of four black men" while attending a party; Metropolitan Police Commander Alison Heydari said the men had "entered the garden of the property and discharged a firearm".

A vigil was held for Johnson outside King's College Hospital on the evening of 24 May, arranged by the UK chapter of the organisation Black Lives Matter. As of 28 May, Johnson is still in a critical condition.

On 26 May, five males between the ages of 17 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of Johnson. An 18-year-old man was charged with conspiracy to murder; the four other males arrested were bailed.

As of 28 May, she remains hospitalised and in critical condition.

Responses

Diane Abbott, Labour Party MP, was criticised by a Home Office source who accused her of departing from the facts and for stoking racial tensions after suggesting that the shooting was a racially motivated attack and targeted because of Johnson's activism.

Personal life

Media outlets reported variously that Johnson has either two or three children, due to conflicting statements from the TTIP.

References

  1. Sharman, Jon; White, Nadine (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist in hospital after Peckham shooting, her political party says". Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. ^ Mohamed, Edna (23 May 2021). "BLM activist Sasha Johnson in critical condition after gunshot to the head". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  3. ^ Wright, Robert (25 May 2021). "Police accused of playing down shooting of Black Lives Matter leader". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Jones, Amy (26 October 2020). "'Black Lives Matter' registers as political party and could stand in local elections next year". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Black equal rights activist in critical condition after being shot in the head in south London". Sky News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  6. ^ Dex, Robert (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist critical after Peckham shooting, say colleagues". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Hundreds join march to protest against systemic racism in the UK". The Guardian. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  8. "Leading anti-racism protester Sasha Johnson shot in head in London, her political party says". CBS News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  9. Anthony, Andrew (13 June 2020). "At Trafalgar Square protest, the atmosphere was ugly, the air heavy with threat from the far right". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  10. Heren, Kit (13 June 2020). "Clashes as hundreds including far-right activists 'guard' statues". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  11. Stubley, Peter (31 August 2020). "Hundreds of anti-racism protesters join Million People March in Notting Hill". Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  12. Brewis, Harriet (30 August 2020). "Piers Corbyn, 73, arrested and handed £10k fine over Trafalgar Square 'anti-lockdown protests'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  13. Gayle, Damien (16 March 2021). "BLM activists demonstrating against anti-protest bill 'targeted by police'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  14. Jankowicz, Mia (25 May 2021). "Colleagues of the BLM activist who was shot in the head in London say they've been getting messages gloating about the attack". Insider. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. ^ Donnison, Jon; Wills, Ella (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot in London". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  16. ^ Lyons, Izzy (24 May 2021). "Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'shot in the head after numerous death threats'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  17. "Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer". The Telegraph. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  18. "Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-05-26 – via Microsoft News.
  19. Mehta, Amar (25 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black equal rights activist shot by group of four men at south London party, police say". Sky News. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  20. "Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson 'not intended target' of drive-by shooting at party, says friend". ITV News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  21. "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot by group of men". BBC News Online. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  22. Yeung, Jessie; Fleet, Maria; Bashir, Nada (25 May 2021). "Black Lives Matter activist in critical condition after being shot in head in London". CNN. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Man charged in connection with attempted murder of activist Sasha Johnson". Sky News. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  24. "Sasha Johnson: Five held on suspicion of attempted murder". BBC News. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  25. "Arrests made in relation to Sasha Johnson Peckham shooting". The Guardian. PA Media. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  26. "Sasha Johnson: Teenager charged over Peckham shooting". BBC News. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  27. ^ France, Anthony (28 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Man, 18, charged with 'murder bid' of BLM activist". London Evening Standard.
  28. Dathan, Matt; Mitab, Ali; Hamilton, Fiona (26 May 2021). "Diane Abbott accused of stoking racial tension over shooting of BLM activist Sasha Johnson". The Times. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
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