In the early hours of Sunday morning, Sasha Johnson, a British Black Lives Matter activist, was attacked and shot in the head in south London.
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According to CNN, the Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP) issued a statement regarding the shooting on Sunday. “It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has been brutally attacked and sustained a gunshot wound to her head,” the statement read. “She is currently in intensive care and in a critical condition.”
Johnson is the leader of the TTIP which CNN notes as “Britain’s first Black-led political party.” She rose to prominence last year during the global protests against systemic racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer. In addition to activism, Johnson is a mother of three and helps deliver food to those in need.
So, it looks like hurting people who are only trying to make things better isn’t exclusively an American thing.
The TTIP has said the attack came “following numerous death threats as a result of her activism,” though a statement by London’s Metropolitan Police has said that they don’t have any evidence so far that she was targeted or “had received any credible threats against her prior to this incident.”
“A dedicated team of detectives is working tirelessly to identify the person or persons responsible for this shooting,” said Detective Chief Inspector Jim Tele. He added that while the shooting “will have shocked those in the local community and further afield” he asked the public to “avoid speculating as to the motive or the circumstances behind it.”
You can ask people to avoid speculating, but considering the level of vitriol and sheer hate spewed towards Black women for just existing, it’s hard to not look at this incident and get the sinking feeling in your stomach that this is about exactly what you think it’s about.
As of now it’s unclear whether the police have any suspects in the attack. The shooting occurred near a house party and authorities are seeking to speak with anyone who was in attendance for information on what may have happened.
A vigil for Johnson will take place on Monday afternoon outside Kings’ College Hospital in London. The TTIP has asked people to attend if they can to “show support for her recovery and take a stand against senseless violence.”
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