Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for calm amid fears that the populist right is using the murder of Henry Nowak by a Sikh man to whip up racial resentment. Starmer condemned Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who urged the public to respond with 'pure, cold rage', saying the victim's family had explicitly asked that the case not be used to target particular communities.
Nowak, an 18-year-old university student, was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who used a Sikh dagger in Southampton in December 2025. Body-camera footage released by Hampshire police showed Nowak being handcuffed despite repeatedly telling officers he had been stabbed. The treatment has been highlighted by US hard-right commentators, including Elon Musk, who argue it shows 'two-tier' policing.
On Tuesday evening, hundreds gathered outside Southampton police station after far-right activist Tommy Robinson called for a 'Justice for Henry Nowak' protest. Some chanted 'Racist police, off our streets' and held signs such as 'Henry's blood is on your hands'. Robinson accused Hampshire police of institutional racism and called for Digwa's family to be forced out of Southampton.
Starmer said he found the body-cam footage 'harrowing' and acknowledged serious questions about how accusations of racism informed police decision-making. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expecting a report within three months. Sikh groups condemned the murder as 'a moment of madness' and reported that the wider Sikh community has faced considerable abuse and hate since the incident.
