Football hooligan threw can of booze at BLM supporters and police during violent protest
A violent football hooligan has been jailed for his role in a protest group which resisted and injured police.
The whole of the UK saw massive crowds join a Black Lives Matter (BLM) march after the now-convicted police officer Derek Chauvin brutally murdered George Floyd in the US on May 25, 2020.
The tragedy ignited an anti-racism movement which some found controversial for its position on taking down statues which celebrated people who had been involved in slavery or colonialism.
Self-proclaimed statue-protectors regularly gathered to ‘guard’ monuments in places where BLM marches were set to take place.
These ‘protectors’ were often made up of different factions, including football fans, veterans and far-right groups.
Newcastle United fan Michael Maylia, 55, was part of the crowd who went to meet BLM protesters at Grey’s Monument, in Newcastle, on June 13 that year.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the demonstration was ‘peaceful’ until about 2pm when things turned.
Prosecutors said CCTV footage showed Maylia, from Gateshead, looking for an opportunity to throw a can of beer at someone.
He eventually ‘hurled’ it towards BLM members and an officer had to jump out of the way.
Maylia put his hoodie on to try and hide his identity and then, ‘appearing as a leader’ gathered some of his allies to ‘confront’ a separate group of BLM protesters.
When police told them all to move back, the group refused and resisted.
‘[Maylia] can be seen at the front refusing to leave, surging towards the police and acting in a threatening manner,’ the court was told.
Even when a police dog unit got involved, Maylia remained at the front of the group, shouting and swearing at officers. At one point the grandad surged forward and actively tried to disrupt police tactics.
Maylia, who has 56 previous convictions including assaults and public disorder, pleaded guilty to violent disorder.
He is currently serving a 19-month sentence for his role in a bar brawl in Burnley, Lancashire, in 2019.
The judge said his new sentence needs to be a ‘deterrent’ and put him behind bars for 25 months.
Stephen Jenkins, 64, was also jailed for his violent behaviour while he was in a ‘drunken state’.
The former forklift truck driver from Sunderland had developed a drinking problem after he lost his job during lockdown, and had drunk six beers before the protest and nine while there.
He threw a beer can at an officer and it landed on his chest, but he did not feel anything as he was wearing riot gear.
Nevertheless, the court heard how Jenkins had been ‘aggressive and confrontational’ at the event.
Jenkins, who lived a ‘law-abiding lifestyle’ up until that day, was jailed for 26 months.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.