Protesters clash with UK police over murder of student Henry Nowak

Protesters in the United Kingdom have pelted police with missiles in clashes close to where finance student Henry Nowak was stabbed to death.

Hundreds gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station on Tuesday where activist Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox were among those who spoke to the crowd.

Violent scenes broke out after a large group walked across town to the area of Portswood. A police helicopter hovered overhead as officers were pelted with stones. Demonstrators chanted “Henry, Henry” as the line of police were pelted with bricks.

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

The killer of finance student Nowak, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, told police attending the scene of the stabbing in Southampton on December 3, 2025 that he had been the victim of a racist attack.

In body-worn camera footage from the incident, Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying: “I’ve been stabbed,” to which an officer replies: “Don’t think you have, mate.”

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood later condemned the scenes in Portswood as “completely unacceptable” and accused the demonstrators of “hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder” in defiance of a plea by the Nowak family not to use the murder to feed division and hatred.

The clashes with police come amid growing tensions and scrutiny over how officers dealt with the incident, which included arresting and handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying.

Mahmood said: “The Nowak family made a powerful call to us all yesterday to not let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred or tension.”

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

“I thank the police who have tonight shown great bravery and calm in the face of disgraceful violence directed at them.”

Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Nowak with a ceremonial knife with a 21-centimetre blade prosecutors said was a kirpan, which he carried as part of his Sikh religion.

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

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) announced it would review anti-racism guidance – called the Race Action Plan – that some have blamed for the actions of the officers who arrested Nowak.

NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens said: “We are listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded or phrased, and where needed we can and will make changes, but this should not detract from the intent, which is to improve the quality of policing.”

Earlier on Tuesday Hampshire Police said an officer not connected to the case has faced death threats after being misidentified in online posts.

In a post on X, the force said: “We recognise the desire for answers about the police response that night” and warned people not to indulge in “harmful online speculation.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he “felt sick” watching “harrowing” footage of police handcuffing Nowak and said there are “serious questions” to answer about the case. There needs to be an examination into how “accusations of racism” informed the police’s decision-making in the case, he added.

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

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said investigators are examining a large amount of body-worn video as well as material presented during Digwa’s trial.

Hampshire Police confirmed that one of the officers involved in the case has resigned, while the other three are still serving. All of them are being treated as witnesses.

Nowak’s father Mark Nowak, speaking after Digwa was sentenced on Monday, said: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.”

But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said people should respond with “pure cold rage” to Nowak’s treatment, which he said was evidence of a “two-tier culture.”

Nowak was “actually treated in a way that meant an accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder,” Farage said.