Jump to content

Sasha Johnson: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 1253421356 by 86.187.234.190 (talk) revert unsourced changes
Accuracy of nationality
Tags: Reverted Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit
Line 29: Line 29:
}}
}}


'''Sasha Johnson''' (born {{circa}} 1993–1994)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sharman |first1=Jon |last2=White |first2=Nadine |title=Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist in hospital after Peckham shooting, her political party says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sasha-johnson-peckham-shooting-blm-b1852578.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=24 May 2021 |access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref> is a British woman who has been an activist and member of [[Taking the Initiative Party]] (TTIP). A student of [[Ruskin College]], she was involved in the [[Rhodes Must Fall#Oriel College, University of Oxford, UK|Rhodes Must Fall]] protest, and with Black Lives Matter and [[Kill the Bill]] protests.
'''Sasha Johnson''' (born {{circa}} 1993–1994)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sharman |first1=Jon |last2=White |first2=Nadine |title=Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist in hospital after Peckham shooting, her political party says |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sasha-johnson-peckham-shooting-blm-b1852578.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=24 May 2021 |access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref> is an African<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-25 |title=Africa - Ethnic Groups, Cultures, Languages {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Africa/People |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> woman who has been an activist and member of [[Taking the Initiative Party]] (TTIP). A student of [[Ruskin College]], she was involved in the [[Rhodes Must Fall#Oriel College, University of Oxford, UK|Rhodes Must Fall]] protest, and with Black Lives Matter and [[Kill the Bill]] protests.


On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head at a party in the early hours. Two days later, five men were arrested on suspicion of [[Attempted murder#United Kingdom|attempted murder]], one of whom was later charged with [[Conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] to murder while the others were released on bail. A second man was charged on 12 June and two further men were charged on 17 June with conspiracy to murder. The four men were scheduled to stand trial in March 2022 but the trial was abandoned in February 2022; the defendants were formally found not guilty when the prosecution offered no evidence.
On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head at a party in the early hours. Two days later, five men were arrested on suspicion of [[Attempted murder#United Kingdom|attempted murder]], one of whom was later charged with [[Conspiracy (criminal)|conspiracy]] to murder while the others were released on bail. A second man was charged on 12 June and two further men were charged on 17 June with conspiracy to murder. The four men were scheduled to stand trial in March 2022 but the trial was abandoned in February 2022; the defendants were formally found not guilty when the prosecution offered no evidence.

Revision as of 17:30, 26 October 2024

For the composer, see Sasha Johnson Manning.

Sasha Johnson
Bornc. 1993–1994 (age 29–31)
NationalityBritish
EducationRuskin College
OccupationPolitical activist
Political partyTaking the Initiative Party
MovementBlack Lives Matter

Sasha Johnson (born c. 1993–1994)[1] is an African[2] woman who has been an activist and member of Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP). A student of Ruskin College, she was involved in the Rhodes Must Fall protest, and with Black Lives Matter and Kill the Bill protests.

On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head at a party in the early hours. Two days later, five men were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, one of whom was later charged with conspiracy to murder while the others were released on bail. A second man was charged on 12 June and two further men were charged on 17 June with conspiracy to murder. The four men were scheduled to stand trial in March 2022 but the trial was abandoned in February 2022; the defendants were formally found not guilty when the prosecution offered no evidence.

Background

Johnson's mother is Ellet Dalling and she has a sister.[3][4]

Johnson studied in community development and youth work from Ruskin College.[5][6] Prior to the shooting, Johnson ran a restaurant and volunteered for food insecurity initiatives.[7][8] She worked in community activism and support, and was previously a youth worker.[9][10][7]

Johnson has two sons.[3][11]

Activism

Johnson campaigned for the Oxford Rhodes Must Fall campaign.[12][9] She participated in the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.[13] In response to a counter-protest which included a right-wing presence with the stated intention of protecting war memorials, Johnson told 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."[14][15] In August 2020, Johnson was an organiser for the Million People March, an anti-racist demonstration in London attended by around 400 people.[16][10][17] 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.[18]

In summer 2020, Johnson was involved in the founding of the Taking The Initiative Party (TTIP); she has served on its Executive Leadership Committee.[12][5] Sky News reported that the party was registered with the Electoral Commission around 2017.[8] The party supports the decentralised Black Lives Matter movement but is unaffiliated with the specific organisation Black Lives Matter.[12] 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.[8]

In 2020 and 2021, false information circulated on social media that Johnson commented "the white man will not be our equal but our slave" on Twitter. The account in question was impersonating Johnson and suspended by Twitter.[19][20]

Shooting

On 23 May 2021, Johnson was shot in the head. The Metropolitan Police were notified of the attack, which took place in Peckham, London, at around 3 a.m.[5][21] TTIP said Johnson had earlier received death threats and her car had been vandalised a month before the incident. At the time of the shooting she was facing prosecution for racial abuse of a police officer.[22][23][24] According to a friend, Johnson was not the intended target of the shooting.[21] A police spokesperson said a few hours after the crime that investigation was at an early stage, and that police had no knowledge of prior threats[25] and that no-one had yet been arrested over the incident.[26] 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".[27] It was later reported that another person attending the party was shot in the foot.[28]

A vigil was held for Johnson outside King's College Hospital on the evening of 24 May, arranged by a UK offshoot of the US organisation Black Lives Matter.[29]

On 26 May, five males between the ages of 17 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of Johnson.[30][31] An 18-year-old man was charged with conspiracy to murder; the four other males were bailed.[32][33][34] On 7 June, the police and Johnson's mother appealed for witnesses, as none of the thirty party guests had come forward.[35] On 12 June, a second man was charged with conspiracy to murder.[36] On 16 June 2021, it was announced that a 25-year-old man had been arrested in Kent on that day on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.[37] On 17 June, two further men were charged with conspiracy to murder.[38] After a plea hearing on 5 November, they were due to stand trial for six weeks, beginning on 7 March 2022.[39]

By 7 June 2021, Johnson was still in hospital and under sedation in a critical condition, with "profound life-changing injuries" according to a police statement.[35][40] The BBC reported on 16 June 2021 that since the shooting two surgical operations had been carried out to release pressure on Johnson's brain but that she remained critically ill.[37]

The prosecution case was dropped on 22 February 2022, and the defendants were formally found "not guilty".[41] Announcing that the case was being dropped, the prosecutor, Mark Heywood QC, said "For very good reasons it is not possible to set out in full in open court the reasons it is so but it should be understood the relevant considerations have been given the most anxious and careful scrutiny" adding that the case against the defendants had been based on "circumstantial evidence" which included their phone data, movements, and interactions and that there was no direct evidence that identified them.[42] Johnson had been in a relationship with an occupant of the house where the shooting had taken place and there had been a "falling out" and "hostility" between two of the accused and the two youngest occupants of the house.[42] Following discontinuance of the prosecution, police and Johnson's family commented on the lack of cooperation with police by witnesses to the shooting.[3]

By February 2022, Johnson remained in a serious but stable condition in hospital, having "suffered 'catastrophic' and permanent injuries".[43]

In May 2022, Crimestoppers announced a £20,000 reward for anyone providing information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the shooting.[44]

Responses

Labour Party MP Diane Abbott suggested that the shooting was a racially motivated attack and was targeted because of Johnson's activism; this drew criticism from a Home Office spokesperson, on the grounds that it would tend to stoke racial tension.[45]

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,[25] and said there was "no evidence" the shooting was carried out by four black males, as "[the TTIP] have multiple sources present at the incident who have confirmed to us that the attackers were all wearing balaclavas".[6] 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".[19]

References

  1. ^ Sharman, Jon; White, Nadine (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist in hospital after Peckham shooting, her political party says". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Africa - Ethnic Groups, Cultures, Languages | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Sasha Johnson shooting: Witnesses' silence 'crazy', says victim's sister". BBC News. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. ^ David Brown, "Family of activist shot at party beg witnesses to speak up", The Times, London, 1 March 2022, p. 27.
  5. ^ a b c Mohamed, Edna (23 May 2021). "BLM activist Sasha Johnson in critical condition after gunshot to the head". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b Wright, Robert (25 May 2021). "Police accused of playing down shooting of Black Lives Matter leader". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b Hamilton, Fiona (7 June 2021). "Mother pleads for witnesses to shooting of Sasha Johnson". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "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.
  9. ^ a b Dex, Robert (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist critical after Peckham shooting, say colleagues". Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Hundreds join march to protest against systemic racism in the UK". The Guardian. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  11. ^ David Brown, "Family of activist shot at party beg witnesses to speak up", The Times, London, 1 March 2022, p. 27.
  12. ^ a b c 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.
  13. ^ "Leading anti-racism protester Sasha Johnson shot in head in London, her political party says". CBS News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Heren, Kit (13 June 2020). "Clashes as hundreds including far-right activists 'guard' statues". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  16. ^ Stubley, Peter (31 August 2020). "Hundreds of anti-racism protesters join Million People March in Notting Hill". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Gayle, Damien (16 March 2021). "BLM activists demonstrating against anti-protest bill 'targeted by police'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  19. ^ a b 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.
  20. ^ Majchrowicz, Michael (28 May 2021). "No, a British BLM leader did not tweet about enslaving white people". PolitiFact. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  21. ^ a b Donnison, Jon; Wills, Ella (24 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot in London". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer". The Telegraph. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Black Lives Matter activist injured in shooting is facing prosecution for racially abusing police officer". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2021 – via Microsoft News.
  25. ^ a b 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.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist shot by group of men". BBC News. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Man, 18, appears in court over activist's shooting". BBC News. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Five held on suspicion of attempted murder". BBC News. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  31. ^ "Arrests made in relation to Sasha Johnson Peckham shooting". The Guardian. PA Media. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Man charged in connection with attempted murder of activist Sasha Johnson". Sky News. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Teenager charged over Peckham shooting". BBC News. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  34. ^ France, Anthony (28 May 2021). "Sasha Johnson: Man, 18, charged with 'murder bid' of BLM activist". Evening Standard.
  35. ^ a b France, Anthony (7 June 2021). "Mother of Sasha Johnson demands answers as police reveal no guests at party shooting have come forward". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  36. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Second man charged over activist's shooting". BBC News. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Sasha Johnson: Further arrest over activist's shooting". BBC News. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Two more men charged over shooting". BBC News. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  39. ^ Kirk, Tristan (20 August 2021). "Sasha Johnson shooting: Four to stand trial on murder plot charge next March". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  40. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Activist still fighting for life after being shot". BBC News. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  41. ^ "Case collapses against men accused of shooting campaigner Sasha Johnson". ITV News. 22 February 2022.
  42. ^ a b Siddique, Haroon; Dodd, Dodd (22 February 2022). "Sasha Johnson shooting: case against four men collapses". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  43. ^ "Sasha Johnson: Case collapses against men charged over black rights activist shooting". BBC News. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  44. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (26 May 2022). "Sasha Johnson: £20,000 reward offered to break 'wall of silence' over shooting". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  45. ^ 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.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sasha_Johnson&oldid=1253565162"