A Black Lives Matter protester who launched a bottle that ended up hitting a dog walker has been jailed.
Abdoulaye Sanogo attended a highly publicised BLM demonstration in Newcastle city centre on June 13 2020, which resulted in a "showdown" between protesters and counter-protesters - including members of the North East Frontline Patriots. Crowds of people joined in the protest which soon descended into chaos, with many injuries being reported.
Sanogo, of Kendal Street, Byker, attended in support of the BLM contingent, but as the demonstration heated up, the 26-year-old picked up a bottle and threw it, hitting a passing dog walker in the chest. He was later arrested and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for violent disorder.
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The court was told that Sanogo was part of a BLM protest around the Grey's Monument area of Newcastle city centre before disorder broke out between the BLM contingent and counter-protesters - which was said to have been made up of convicted football hooligans, North East Frontline Patriots and Hell's Angels.
Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said: "This defendant was included (in the disorder) and a video showed him at various points in the protest breaking through a police cordon. He was then seen throwing a bottle at counter-protesters, but it hit someone else altogether. A man was walking his dog in between the two factions and the bottle hit him in the chest."
The court heard that the protest resulted in "widespread and large scale acts of violence on people and property", with Sanogo being described as a "persistent participant" and was seen "gesturing" to the counter-protesters. Sanogo, who had no previous convictions, was later arrested.
Brian Hegarty, defending, said one group who was involved in the counter protest was the North East Frontline Patriots, with Sanogo attending as part of the Black Lives Matter contingent. He said: "He attended the protest with the intention of protesting peacefully, as he had done a week before. Once word spread there was to be another protest, a call to counter-protest was put out, which resulted in a number of people within the counter-protest contingency attending, who were not all there to peacefully protest."
He added: "Many attended to antagonise the BLM contingency with the intention of getting drunk and violence breaking out. The defendant is no such individual, he is low risk and has remorse and regret at having become involved. He feels very strongly that it was a legitimate protest by Black Lives Matter. He is committed to leading a lawful path. A bottle was thrown towards the protesters and he picked it up and threw it back and it hits the torso of the individual."
Sentencing Sanogo, Judge Edward Bindloss said the offence was committed amid large scale violent disorder, which resulted in police officers, police dogs and horses being injured. He said: "One thousand people were marching peacefully, with 400 counter-protesters, which involved North East Frontline Patriots, Hell's Angels, and those with a history of football violence. Many attended for a showdown. There were 180 police officers, with warnings ignored, and there was a barrage of missiles and smoke grenades."
Sanogo was jailed for two years and 10 months.
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