Residents and Leaders React to Violence Marring Southampton Protest Over Henry Nowak’s Death

Southampton’s residents and civic officials are voicing their distress following violent clashes during a protest near the location where 18-year-old Henry Nowak was killed. The unrest, which occurred on Tuesday, resulted in injuries to 11 police officers, prompting a wave of concern among the local population.

Satvir Kaur, the Labour MP for Southampton Test, expressed the deep emotional toll the recent events have taken on the area. "The brutal murder of Henry has really shook our community to its core and people are rightly really upset, distressed and sad," Kaur stated. She noted that the subsequent violence has instilled fear in many locals. "I'm speaking to mums who are scared to send their children out and people that are too scared to actually open the door."

The confrontation involved dozens of projectiles and missiles being hurled at officers clad in riot gear. Among the debris thrown were bricks, bottles, gravel, and fragments of broken fences. In one particularly dangerous incident, a female officer narrowly escaped being struck by an e-scooter that was launched from an elevated position. The situation was monitored from above by police helicopters and drones.

The violence erupted shortly after the release of bodycamera footage depicting Nowak, who was handcuffed and dying, repeatedly telling officers, "I can't breathe." The incident that led to his death involved Vickrum Digwa, 23, who was subsequently jailed for life for Nowak’s murder. Police also established roadblocks in the Portswod area, where it is believed Digwa resides.

Kaur emphasized that the disorder was largely driven by outsiders rather than the local community. "The majority of the people that were part of the riots actually came from outside the city into the city to cause disorder and disruption," she said. She described Southampton as a "great, strong, diverse city" and argued that the riots did not represent its values. "It's really important that we unite and all of us come together at this really tragic time and at a time when people should be showing leadership, it's sad to see people using this tragic event to sow divisions and hatred within our communities."

Witnesses described the scene as chaotic. Eddie Thomas, who was smoking nearby, recounted the intensity of the unrest. "It was absolutely insane - there were bricks being thrown... a bin fire was started literally as we arrived, it was kind of crazy," he said. Thomas observed that while the majority of the crowd was young and mostly filmed the events, only about a third were actively violent. "It was a shame though, there was actual heart behind it, I believe there was anger behind it from a community," he added, though he acknowledged that breaking and throwing objects was not the appropriate response.

Dylan Harwood, a resident of the area for two years, highlighted the impact on vulnerable neighbors. "You could hear it coming down the road - all shouting and screaming and things being thrown at the police officers," Harwood said. He and others kept their distance, but he criticized the actions as disrespectful to those in the vicinity. "I understand the cause but to be outside of a care home with vulnerable residents, kids in houses, throwing scooters and bricks at police... I think it's disrespectful to them."

During the clashes, several protesters sustained injuries. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed that 11 officers and one police dog were hurt. Two individuals have been arrested, and authorities warned that further arrests are likely as investigations proceed.

Chief Constable Alexis Boon addressed the incident, balancing accountability with condemnation of the violence. "We understand and appreciate as police officers that we are accountable for our actions. What we, as a society, cannot accept is the violent scenes we saw in Southampton last night," Boon said. He acknowledged the intimidation faced by locals and workers in the area.

While recognizing the anger directed at the police, Boon stressed that the local community bore the brunt of the protest's aftermath. "The community are the ones that are affected by this, when it comes to it, because there was a big clean up this morning... none of us could get out of our house or out of our roads," he explained.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-03 12:37:44 UTC