UK interior minister condemns violent reaction to handcuffed student’s murder
Protesters clash with police officers during a demonstration following the conviction of Vikrum Digwa for the murder of student Henry Nowak, in Southampton, Britain, on Jun 2, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Isabel Infantes)
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
LONDON: Britain’s interior minister Shabana Mahmood on Wednesday (Jun 3) condemned as “completely unacceptable” violent protests which broke out over the case of an 18-year-old who was handcuffed as he lay dying after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack.
The murder of student Henry Nowak last year has dominated headlines in Britain since the sentencing of his Sikh killer on Monday, with the footage of officers ignoring a dying innocent man sparking a political storm about how police treat different ethnicities.
The government welcomed a move by police chiefs to review guidelines, which were drawn up in response to well-documented incidents of racism in policing, but denied the existence of a “two-tier” system, a much-discussed topic on social media.
“There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder,” Mahmood said, after protesters clashed with police last night in the port city of Southampton, close to where Nowak was killed.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
A further protest is planned outside parliament in London at midday (7pm, Singapore time) on Wednesday.
Nowak’s family called his treatment by police “inhumane and degrading”, but in a statement outside court, his father said his death should not be “used to create further division, hatred or tension”.
Court pathologists found that Nowak would have died of his injuries at the scene regardless of the emergency response.
He was handcuffed by officers as he lay dying. They later called an ambulance and performed CPR.
POLICE TREATMENT SPARKS ANGER ACROSS BRITAIN
The populist leader of the anti-immigrant Reform Party Nigel Farage said that Nowak’s death showed how police officers gave preferential treatment to ethnic minorities, and that people should respond with “pure cold rage”.
Elon Musk, the United States billionaire who is a vocal critic of Britain’s government, police, and anti-racism and diversity policies, has posted repeatedly about the case, saying on Tuesday: “Did you know that official police policy requires them to be racist against Whites?”
Mahmood on Tuesday said everyone was equal before the law, and urged people to wait for the outcome of an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct into how the Nowak incident was handled.
But the case has already prompted a reassessment.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said they were reviewing the language of guidance given to officers, which under the Police Race Action Plan advises officers not to be “colour blind” in their approach and to treat ethnicities differently.
“It’s right that it should be reviewed, but I think that shouldn’t be taken to mean we need to rip up the whole system, we don’t,” policing minister Sarah Jones told Sky News.
Hampshire Police has apologised and said in a statement on Tuesday that one of the officers involved in the arrest had resigned, while three others were being treated as witnesses in the investigation.
In the attack last December, Nowak’s killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, lied to police, saying that Nowak had racially abused and assaulted him during a brief altercation in the street.
In police bodycam footage, Nowak is seen lying on the street saying “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe” as he’s being handcuffed, while an officer responds “I don’t think you have, mate”.
Digwa was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.
Farage, whose party is leading in the polls, tried to draw parallels with the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the US, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, contrasting it with what he said had been a muted response to the Nowak death.
Floyd had said “I can’t breathe” as a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
At a protest on Tuesday evening, hundreds of people waved flags and held up signs saying “Henry Nowak”, “Unite the Kingdom” and “I Can’t Breathe”.
Mahmood called the violence that later followed, when objects were hurled at police, “disgraceful”, and said those responsible would face the full force of the law. Two arrests were made, one for assaulting an officer.
Source: Reuters/rl
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
