Southampton community leaders accuse far right of 'bussing' people to city to 'fuel' violence amid Henry Nowak killing

The 18-year-old was stabbed to death in December with a ceremonial knife by Vickrum Digwa, 23. He was then handcuffed by police and bled to death.

Digwa, who was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years for stabbing Mr Nowak with a 21cm blade, told police at the scene he had been the victim of a racist attack. In body-worn camera footage from the incident, Mr Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying: “I’ve been stabbed”, to which an officer replies: “Don’t think you have, mate.”

John Savage, a Labour representative for the Portswood ward of Southampton City Council where the disorder took place, described the violence as “absolutely outrageous”.

He said that it occurred against a backdrop of long-standing protests against a hotel in the area used to house asylum seekers.

Mr Savage said: “We really need to wait for the outcome of the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) investigation, we can’t make any judgement based on seeing a couple of seconds of a video, however distressing it is.

“Most people are really upset by it, they really care about what happened in the last minutes of a poor 18-year-old student’s life, but it doesn’t warrant the violent, disrupting, damaging behaviour we saw last night, we need to wait to find out what happened.”

It comes after Hundreds gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station on Tuesday where Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – and actor and campaigner Laurence Fox were among those who spoke to the crowd.

Read More: Eleven officers and police dog injured as violence erupts in Southampton over Henry Nowak murder

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Yesterday, Mark Nowak, Henry's father, told reporters outside court: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension

“We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone."

So far, two people have been arrested in connection with the flash protest where missiles and projectiles were thrown at police dressed in riot gear. An officer also narrowly avoided being hit by an e-scooter which had been thrown from a height, it was also reported.

Bricks, bottles, gravel, chairs, flares, cans and parts of broken fences were also repeatedly launched.

Eleven police officers and a police dog were injured in the violent clashes.

Mr Savage described Portswood as a “progressive” area with many students and university staff living there and said he believed most of the demonstrators were from other parts of the city as well as elsewhere in the country.

He said: “It’s absolutely outrageous, these are people who have been bussed in from other places to cause mayhem in our city.”

He added: “Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, clearly stated that he didn’t want anything to cause further division and tension in the area and that’s exactly what has happened it seems they are doing it for their own aims, their own agenda and it’s not welcome here.”

'Awful scenes'

Sarah Bogle, the Labour leader of the city council, said that she believed a number of people had arrived in the city from elsewhere for the demonstration which started outside the city’s central police station and which was attended by political activist Tommy Robinson.

She said: “They were pretty awful scenes last night and very unwelcome to see that level of disturbance in what is normally a very quiet neighbourhood.”

Calling for calm to allow the IOPC probe to conclude, she said: “It’s very very distressing to see what’s happened and it’s such an awful tragedy and I really want to respect and support the principles of Henry Nowak’s family’s wishes to dial down the rhetoric, dial down the tensions, and keep the peace and keep people safe and to honour his memory.

“It’s a huge tragedy for him and his family and it’s awful when these tragedies are weaponised by people who should know better, whether it’s politicians or the far right – it really is unwelcome.”

She added: “People have the right to protest, which is fine, but to actually then go and just basically cause distress, I mean people couldn’t even get home that evening, that’s really not acceptable.”

'Fear and division'

Chief Constable Alexis Boon, of Hampshire Constabulary, said that those involved in the disorder had been “determined to spark fear and division”.

He said: “What we, as a society, cannot accept is the violent scenes we saw in Southampton last night.

“Some clearly arrived intent on causing disorder and trouble. We saw bottles thrown, makeshift weapons used, damage caused to the homes and vehicles of innocent residents and threats and violence directed towards our officers.

“As a result, 11 officers and one police dog were injured, while trying to do their job to protect the communities that we serve.”

He added: “My officers bravely and robustly faced violence with professionalism and courage last night and this morning our investigation is under way to identify those responsible for the disorder.

“Last night, we made two arrests and that number will rise as those investigations continue.”

Mr Boon added: “I know that since the release of the body-worn video footage from the night of Henry Nowak’s murder, there is a desire for answers and accountability but that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

'Calm, restraint and respect'

Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: “The Sikh community forms a significant part of Southampton’s social fabric, particularly within the Southampton North part of my constituency.

“Swaythling is home to one of the city’s gurdwaras, and I know how anxious members of the Sikh faith in the city feel right now.

“The city needs calm, restraint and respect for the rule of law. We owe that to Henry’s family and friends, who continue to live with the consequences of this tragedy every day.”

Darren Paffey, Labour MP for Southampton Itchen, said: “This was not a lawful and peaceful protest. Instead, it was the grotesque and cynical spectacle of a young man’s death being used to whip up division, inflame tensions, and provoke criminal disorder.

“Henry’s family have said that they do not want his death to be used to create tension.

“Most of us in Southampton will rightly choose to respect the wishes of a grieving family while allowing the proper processes to run their course. Those who don’t are wrong. The violence and disorder we saw yesterday can never be justified and should not be repeated.

“And to those who choose to come to our city and hijack this tragedy to stoke hatred: you are not wanted here.”

Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, said: “It was incredibly distressing to witness events play out in Portswood last night.

“At a time when a family and community are in mourning, we should be coming together, not stoking division and pitting communities against each other.”

She added: “What happened to Henry was horrific. There are clearly serious questions to be answered, and we must all continue to raise concerns and work together to ensure something like this can never happen again.

“But it is important that we do so calmly and allow due process to be followed. Violence and disorder are never justified.”