Activists accused of stirring violence following Southampton protest
Britain’s interior minister accused activists of hijacking a tragedy to stir up violence after police were attacked at a protest over the death of a teenager who was handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer stood nearby, reports BritPanorama.
Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks, and flares late Tuesday by some of the hundreds who attended a protest in the southern English coast city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December. Two people were arrested and 11 officers and a police dog were injured, police said.
Nowak’s death has triggered debates about policing and knife crime, and has spurred claims by far-right activists and politicians that there is bias against white people in the justice system.
Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who is Sikh, falsely claimed he was the victim of a racist assault by 18-year-old Nowak, who was white. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded man as a suspect before noticing his injury and attempting to resuscitate him.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that the case left “serious questions to answer, including how accusations of racism informed police thinking.” However, he called the street violence “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the violence during Tuesday night’s protest as “completely unacceptable.”
“The Nowak family made a powerful call to us all yesterday not to let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred, or tension,” she said. “There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law.”
Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder and sentenced Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. The judge stated he did not believe Nowak had said anything racist to his attacker.
Following the sentencing, police released video showing officers dismissing Nowak when he indicated he had been stabbed and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.
Prime Minister Starmer stated he was sickened by the video and noted that there are questions regarding how “accusations of racism informed the decision-making in this case.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates allegations of police wrongdoing, is currently examining the actions of the officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has stated it will review its anti-racism guidance in the wake of the killing.
After the sentencing hearing, the victim’s father, Mark Nowak, emphasized that the case was not about racism or religion, and expressed his desire for his son’s death to contribute to safer streets rather than further “division, hatred, or tension.”
However, Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, described the situation as an instance of so-called two-tier policing, a common far-right rhetoric alleging preferential treatment for ethnic minorities over white individuals.
Farage urged a response marked by “pure cold rage,” asserting that “white lives matter just as much as Black lives.” Additionally, X owner Elon Musk and British far-right activist Staphen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, voiced their outrage regarding the crime.
Some politicians have called for Sikhs to be banned from carrying ceremonial knives, known as kirpans. The judge noted that while Digwa had a small kirpan, he also possessed an 8-inch sheathed Sikh dagger that was the murder weapon used against Nowak.
Hampshire Police chief constable Alexis Boon acknowledged the “desire for answers and accountability.”
“But that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets, causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,” he concluded.
