Eleven police officers and a police dog were injured during violent disorder in Southampton on Tuesday night, according to Hampshire Police Chief Constable Alexis Boon. The unrest, which involved hundreds of people claiming to protest the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, saw bricks, bottles, and wheelie bins thrown at officers, with car windows smashed and debris strewn across roads.
Boon condemned the violence, stating that those involved were “determined to spark fear and division.” He noted that two arrests had been made and promised to bring others to justice. The protest began peacefully outside Southampton Central Police Station but escalated as the crowd marched to the Portswood area, where Nowak was killed and his killer, Vickrum Digwa, lived. Riot police prevented protesters from reaching Digwa’s family home.
Residents in Portswood described being terrified. Sophie Martin, a neighbour of the Digwa family, said both families’ cars were smashed, adding: “It was absolutely terrifying. Our two young boys were asleep.” She expressed concern about the cost of repairs and the lasting fear. Labour councillor John Savage called the violence “absolutely outrageous” and suggested many demonstrators were from outside the area, including far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who addressed the crowd.
Council leader Sarah Bogle echoed this, saying some protesters had arrived from elsewhere. She urged respect for the wishes of Nowak’s family to “dial down the tensions” and criticised the weaponisation of the tragedy by “politicians or the far right.” The violence occurred against a backdrop of ongoing protests against a hotel housing asylum seekers in the area.
