Ahmaud Arbery: Lawyer says activists protesting outside trial of white defendant in Black man’s death is ‘public lynching’

The defence attorney for an accused killer of Ahmaud Arbery filed a motion for a mistrial arguing that the pressure placed on the court from third-party demonstrators amounted to a 21st century “public lynching”.

Kevin Gough, the attorney for William ‘Roddie’ Bryan, claimed protesters were influencing the case from outside the courthouse and from within the gallery of the courtroom.

“This is what a public lynching looks like in the 21st century," Mr Gough said.

"It doesn’t matter how many people are outside, it doesn’t matter how violent they appear to be, it doesn’t take much – you’ve got witnesses and jurors who are worried about their careers and their livelihoods when this case is over, and they’re well aware of what’s going on."

The comments come after a large crowd of supporters and more than 100 clergy gathered outside the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick to hold a rally outside of the murder trial of Mr Bryan and his co-accused, Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael.

Martin Luther King III, Rev Al Sharpton, Rev Jesse Jackson and minister Jamal Bryant were among the large “Prayer Wall, Organised by the National Action Network in response to Mr Gough’s previous complaints about Mr Shaprton’s presence in the courtroom.

Mr Gough said that it doesn’t matter that there are not thousands of people with pitchforks and baseball bats outside the court as if it was 1915 or 1923, it doesn’t “take much” to influence the jury.

“Just because they haven’t put a podium up outside with a hangman’s noose on it, doesn’t mean that this isn’t a trial, despite the best efforts of this court, that this isn’t a trial that’s been infected by mob violence of a woke left mob.”

State prosecutor Linda Dunikoski argued against the motion saying that Mr Gough himself caused the activity outside the court to base his motion of mistrial, calling it "brilliant lawyering”.

"He is very, very smart. He is very, very calculating, and he is a good lawyer," Ms Dunikoski said.

"Because on November 12 he stood up in this courtroom knowing full well he was on television and made comments about Al Sharpton and then Black pastors and Colonel Sanders all knowing full well it was being broadcast on television."