Almost a year after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the counter-protester seen in a viral photo where he lit an aerosol can at a white nationalist will serve 20 days in jail for disorderly conduct.

Corey Alexander Long faced a district judge Friday for defending himself against angry white nationalists in August 2017. The 24-year-old was among thousands who descended upon the city to protest several white nationalists and supremacists angered over the removal of a Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue in local Emancipation Park.

Long took out the can and set it ablaze when a white nationalist, Richard Preston, fired a gun into the area. The man, seen holding a flag in the photo, has been identified as Harold Crews and he was not on hand during the sentencing, per NBC 29.

"He made an ethical decision to stand up against racism and injustice, and sometimes standing up against those decisions you'll be rebuked by the American court system," said Malik Shabazz, Long’s legal adviser.

Long was initially sentenced to serve 360 days in jail, but all days except for 20 were suspended, NBC 29 reports. The judge also gave him two years of good behavior and 100 hours of community service.

"There is some legal response that we should have in the way of justice for the victim, but not to blame the victim. I don't think that's good posture," said Imam Akbar, member of the New Black Panther Party.

The Unite the Right rally was a moment many attributed to President Donald Trump's rhetoric and support from the far Right and white nationalist groups. During the August weekend, terrorist James Alex Fields Jr. rammed his Dodge Charger into a counter-protesters killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Long was one of a few facing legal trouble for fighting against racism. A crowd of supporters stood outside the courthouse rooting Long on.

“It's no sweat," he told supporters. "But would I do it again? Hey, you never know."

Corey Alexander Long

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