Protesters Throw Objects at Officers During Henry Nowak Demonstration

Police officers were targeted with projectiles during a demonstration held near the residence of the man convicted of killing Henry Nowak. Several hundred individuals initially assembled outside Southampton Central Police Station before moving toward the St Denys area, where Vickrum Digwa resides.

Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the murder of 18-year-old Nowak. The fatal incident occurred in December 2025 as Nowak was returning to his student housing in Southampton.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood condemned the unrest, labeling the events "completely unacceptable." As the group marched from the police station to the vicinity of the murder, tensions escalated. Officers clad in riot gear were forced to withdraw after protesters threw chairs, cans, and flares at them.

The violence follows the revelation of serious errors by the responding officers. Digwa stabbed Nowak with a large knife, asserting it was kept for religious purposes. He then misled authorities by falsely alleging he was the victim of a racist assault, which resulted in the arrest of Henry Nowak rather than his attacker. Body-worn camera footage released this week captured Nowak, restrained in handcuffs and bleeding, repeatedly informing officers that he had been stabbed before he died.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has initiated an inquiry into the force’s handling of the initial response.

During the gathering at the police station, political activist Tommy Robinson, known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, addressed the attendees. He stated, "I heard someone say this wasn't about race, this is about race." Robinson contrasted the treatment of Nowak with that of Digwa, noting, "A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn't."

Crowds were heard chanting "I can't breathe"—the final words spoken by the teenager—as well as Nowak’s name.

Mahmood stressed that Nowak’s family has explicitly asked that his death not be leveraged to fuel further "division, hatred or tension." She warned, "There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder," adding that those involved in the disorder would face the "full force of the law."

Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, expressed concern that the murder was being manipulated for political gain. "Of course people need to look at knife crime but when it comes to using this an excuse to put communities against each other, that is not helping," she said. "It's not helping in Southampton and it's not helping across the country."

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-02 21:11:31 UTC