Ministers appeal for calm after Henry Nowak murder triggers violent clashes

Ministers have appealed for calm after violent clashes between protesters and police near where student Henry Nowak was stabbed to death.

The incidents followed protests over the police response to the killing, after the student’s killer claimed he was the victim of a racist attack and the injured Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police as he lay dying.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has announced it will review anti-racism guidance – which advises police to treat ethnic minorities differently to achieve better outcomes – which some blame for the actions of the officers who arrested Mr Nowak.

Police minister Sarah Jones said she understood the anger the case had caused but urged people not to “overreact”, adding that she did not want the murder of Mr Nowak’s family to fuel hostility or division.

“We’re appealing to people to acknowledge the anger they feel, I understand that, but let’s let justice take its course and not overreact, which is actually what the family wants us to do,” he told Times Radio.

Ms Jones defended the police’s Race Action Plan, but ministers admitted the wording alongside that in the police commitment document was “clumsy”.

He said “everyone should be equal before the law and we must ensure that this is the case”, but “we cannot shy away from historical and legitimate concerns about racism within police forces”.

NPCC chief executive Gavin Stephens said: “We listen to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments have been worded or worded and that we can and will make changes where necessary, but this should not detract from the intention to improve the quality of policing.”

The cause has been taken up by politicians including Nigel Farage, political activist Tommy Robinson and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said “harmful identity politics” was “driving the country backwards”.

One Daily Mail In his article, he said it was necessary to “eliminate much of the historical, incoherent nonsense put forward under the guise of anti-racism.”

Mr Farage said Mr Nowak was “treated in a way that meant an accusation of racial slur should be taken more seriously than an act of murder” and said people should react with “pure cold anger”.

Two men were arrested for assaulting police and possessing a weapon after hundreds of people gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station on Tuesday. Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) and actor and campaigner Laurence Fox were among those speaking to the crowd.

Scenes of violence broke out after a large group marched across the city towards the Portswood area.

Protesters pelted bricks at the police line and chanted “Henry, Henry” slogans.

Chairs, cans and flares were thrown at police in riot gear, eventually forcing officers and three police vans to retreat from the line they were holding.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said the scenes were “completely unacceptable” and accused demonstrators of “hijacking this tragedy to incite violence and mayhem”.

Mr Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, told police who attended the stabbing in Southampton on December 3, 2025, that he was the victim of a racist attack.

In body-worn camera footage of the incident, a handcuffed Mr. Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying, “I was stabbed,” to which a police officer responds, “I don’t think you were stabbed, man.”

Ms Mahmood said: “The Nowak family made a strong appeal to us all yesterday to not allow Henry’s death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.

“There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to incite violence and mayhem. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law.”

“I thank the police officers who showed great courage and composure tonight in the face of the shameful violence directed at them.”

Digwa was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a 21cm ceremonial knife that prosecutors said was the kirpan he carried as part of his Sikh religion.

He was previously investigated by police on suspicion of stealing ceremonial knives from a Sikh temple in Southampton in 2023, but no further action was taken.

The police watchdog is expected to report on the incident within the next three months.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said investigators reviewed material presented during Digwa’s trial, as well as a large number of body-worn videos.

Hampshire Police confirmed that one of the officers involved in the case had resigned, while the other three remain in service.

They are all treated as witnesses.