After the murder of Henry Nowak: Right-wing forces instrumentalize the case for a debate about British police

Bodycam footage released during the trial shows the severely injured student saying nine times that he had stab wounds and repeatedly stating that he could not breathe. According to the father, one of the officers responded to his calls for help with: "I don't think so, my friend." The disturbing footage subsequently triggered fierce protests. Mark Nowak, the victim's father, stated after the verdict that the police officers' treatment of his son had been inhumane, degrading, and unbearable. At the same time, his criticism was explicitly directed at the officers involved, not at the police as a whole.

Trial and verdict against Vickrum Digwa

Last Monday, Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. According to the court's presentation, the murder weapon was purely an offensive tool: the blade of the 21-centimeter-long knife used significantly exceeded the usual length of a Kirpan, the ceremonial dagger of Sikhs. The judge also stated that more than twenty other weapons, unrelated to Digwa's religion, were seized during a house search. The judge concluded that the perpetrator was simply obsessed with weapons. Representatives of the Sikh community pointed out that the murder weapon was not a Kirpan. Mark Nowak also emphasized that the case was not about racism or Sikhism, but about murder. His son should not have died in police custody on the streets of Southampton, he said. At the same time, the father appealed that his son's death should not be misused to stir up "division, hatred, and tension."

Riots and police brutality

The release of the bodycam footage and the verdict led to serious riots in Southampton on Tuesday evening. According to police, around 300 demonstrators initially gathered in front of the police station, and later demonstrated at the crime scene. The situation escalated: demonstrators threw trash cans, paving stones, and an e-scooter at officers, damaged cars, smashed windows, and set fire to garbage bins. Eleven police officers were injured, and two rioters were arrested. Hampshire Police issued a public apology after the verdict. On banners and in chants, the protesters echoed Nowak's last words: "I can't breathe." Video footage shows angry men repeatedly demanding that police officers kneel, as in the case of George Floyd. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attacks on officers as "shameful and completely unacceptable."

Farage, Robinson, and Musk: Right-wing mobilization

Right-wing politicians and commentators are instrumentalizing the case for a fundamental debate about British police. Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing populist Reform UK party, which is currently leading in the polls, called for "pure, ice-cold rage" in a Facebook video and told Times Radio that Southampton was just the beginning. Farage spoke of a "two-tier system" of policing, where white Britons are treated worse than ethnic minorities. He again demanded: "Enough with the prejudice against white people" and "White lives matter just as much as black lives." The far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who organized a "Unite the Kingdom" rally with thousands of participants in London in May, also called for protests and chanted "Justice for Henry" in Southampton.

Starmer's response and the political consequences

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk also intervened, offering to finance a lawsuit against the police for the victim's family. On his platform X, he asked his followers if they knew that official police regulations in Great Britain prescribed officers to be racist towards white people. Musk was referring to British police anti-racism guidelines published the previous year, which are primarily intended to improve the treatment of Black people. The police leadership announced that they would review these guidelines. Reform UK is also calling for a general ban on the Kirpan. The responsible Police Commissioner Donna Jones urged the government to change gun laws: "If this knife had been banned on December 3, 2025, Henry Nowak would still be alive today." In Great Britain, carrying knives with a blade longer than 7.6 centimeters is generally punishable by law; however, an exception applies to Sikhs for the Kirpan for religious reasons.

Reactions from the Sikh community

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour government rejects accusations of a two-tier police force, accused Musk on Thursday in front of journalists in London of once again interfering in British politics and trying to "sow division." Musk has repeatedly interfered in British politics in recent days and is trying to sow division. In a terrible case like the murder of Henry Nowak, one reacts calmly, as the family has done. This is "not who we are in Great Britain." Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also sharply condemned the riots. Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch expressed concern that the police, after decades of accusations of institutional racism, may have overcompensated. A police authority had already admitted that Black people in Great Britain are still disproportionately stopped, subjected to tasers, and die in police custody.

Historical parallels: From Southport 2024 to Southampton 2026

The British Sikh community, numbering around 535,000 people in the United Kingdom, strongly condemned the murder and warned against blanket blame. In a joint statement, they said: "It is not representative of the Sikh community. It was an individual perpetrator." According to the British Sikh Report 2025, 49 percent of Sikhs surveyed expressed concern about growing anti-Sikh sentiment, and 50 percent feared that disinformation on social media could further fuel hostility towards Sikhs. Since the verdict on June 1, 15 cases of harassment of Sikhs have been reported. According to the Home Secretary, an officer wrongly linked to the case received death threats and had to move with his family. The conduct of the police officers who failed in December is being investigated by the police watchdog; one officer has already resigned.

Background: Institutional racism and anti-racism guidelines

As early as September of the previous year, Musk had called for the dissolution of the House of Commons and the overthrow of the Starmer government at a large demonstration in London organized by Tommy Robinson. In Germany, Musk supports the AfD. The riots in Southampton are reminiscent of the riots in the summer of 2024 in several English cities, which were triggered by the murder of three girls in Southport. At that time, racially motivated riots were directed against, among other things, asylum accommodation, mosques, and businesses owned by Muslims, after the rumor that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker had spread. In reality, the perpetrator was a man born in Great Britain with Rwandan roots.

Behind the question of whether the British police systematically discriminate against white Britons lies a broader debate about institutional racism and attempts to improve relations with minorities. The anti-racism guidelines were introduced after the police in Great Britain had been classified as institutionally racist for decades. Now, the police leadership announced that they would revise the guidelines after the Nowak case. Police representatives emphasized that it was not about applying double standards. The Nowak family had explicitly requested that their son's death not be misused for political purposes, but that they remain calm. Whether the British government will respond to the growing pressure and actually change gun laws remains to be seen.