Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described the killing of student Henry Nowak as a 'watershed moment for this country', as two people were arrested amid violent scenes at a protest in Southampton. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also called the 18-year-old's death a 'seminal moment for Britain', comparing it to the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993.
Last night, protesters hurled bricks, bottles and burning bins, and police were pelted with missiles near where Mr Nowak was stabbed to death in December 2025. Hundreds gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station, where activists Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox addressed the crowd. Robinson accused Hampshire police of institutional racism and called for the family of the convicted killer, Vickrum Digwa, to be forced out of Southampton.
The violence erupted despite a plea from Mr Nowak's father, Mark Nowak, that his son's death should not be used 'to create further division, hatred or tension'. He condemned the 'inhumane and degrading' treatment of his son by police but added: 'We want his story to help make our streets safer for everyone.' Policing minister Sarah Jones confirmed two arrests, one for assaulting a police officer and one for possession of a weapon.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mrs Badenoch said the murder and the police response must be a 'seminal moment' on a par with Stephen Lawrence's death, which led to the Macpherson Report finding the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist. She criticised 'pernicious identity politics' and questioned why Labour figures who knelt for Black Lives Matter had not done so for Henry Nowak. She also condemned Mr Farage for saying the 'rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities', calling it 'toxic tribal politics'.
In The Daily Telegraph, Mr Farage argued the nation needs to take a long, hard look at itself. Stephen Lawrence's father, Neville, told the Mirror: 'My thoughts are with Henry Nowak's family. When my son was killed officers also made incorrect assumptions and it is very tragic to see history repeating itself.'
