LONDON – British leader Keir Starmer said Wednesday there was “no justification” for violence after protesters clashed with police in a demonstration against officers’ handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man.
The prime minister branded as “unforgivable” calls by hard-right firebrand Nigel Farage for people to respond with “pure cold rage” to the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak — a murder that has become highly politicised in the UK.
Far-right figures have seized on the case of Nowak, who was put in handcuffs and heard on police bodycam footage repeatedly telling officers he could not breathe as he lay mortally wounded in December.
His attacker, Vickrum Digwa, however, lied and told police he was the victim as Nowak had racially insulted him.
Digwa, 23, was jailed for at least 21 years on Monday for stabbing Nowak to death using a ceremonial knife with a 21-centimetre (eight-inch) blade in the southern city of Southampton following an altercation about a mobile phone.
Two people were arrested late on Tuesday during a protest led by far right figures that turned violent, despite pleas from Nowak’s father that his son’s murder should not be used “to create further division, hatred or tension”.
Eleven police officers were injured during the demonstration in Southampton, which saw around 100 protesters pull apart garden fences, throw bricks, flares and chairs, and roll a flaming bin at police, AFP reporters saw.
Officers responded with a spray on demonstrators and hit them with riot shields.
“No matter the pain we feel, there is no justification for more violence and disorder,” Starmer told lawmakers.
“This is a time for serious work, not rage. We will ensure anyone found engaging in disorder meets the full force of the law.”
Farage and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who has a string of criminal convictions, claim Nowak’s death is an example of so-called “two-tier policing”, in which officers are seen as dealing with ethnic minorities more leniently.
Starmer and his Labour government vehemently deny that two-tier policing exists.
But the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) said it would look at its Race Action Plan, which advises officers to treat suspected criminals differently depending on their ethnicity.
“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,” chairman Gavin Stephens said in a statement.
The guidance published last year said the organisation’s commitment to racial equality “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind'”.
It was introduced as part of efforts to improve policing for black people, who statistics show are more than two times more likely to be arrested than white people in Britain.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said it was “right” that the guidance was being reviewed.
– ‘Exploiting this tragedy’ –
Footage played during Digwa’s trial showed police accepting Digwa’s claim of racist abuse, and rather than helping Nowak, initially handcuffing him despite his pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe.
Moments later, the student became unconscious.
Starmer, a former chief state prosecutor in England and Wales, called the video “harrowing” and said there were “serious questions” to answer about the case.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog is investigating and is expected to report back within the next three months.
Three of the officers involved in the incident are still serving, Hampshire Police have confirmed. One resigned for an unrelated reason.
More than 1,000 people — many waving Union Jack and England flags — attended Tuesday’s protest.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told the rally that white British people were treated as “second-rate citizens” by police.
In parliament, Starmer accused Farage, whose Reform UK party leads opinion polls, of “exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division”.
American tech tycoon Elon Musk has offered to fund a private prosecution against the police over its handling of the murder.