Nowak family 'deserves better' from politicians weaponising Henry's death, says survivor of 2019 London Bridge terror attack
A survivor and friend of a man who was murdered during the 2019 London Bridge Terror attack has called out politicians and campaigners for exploiting the suffering of victims like Henry Nowak to push their own narratives.
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In an opinion piece for LBC, Claudia Vince wrote that the public conversation around Henry Nowak's death is 'strikingly' similar to rhetoric around the murder of her friend Jack Merritt.
Jack, 25, was fatally stabbed along with Saskia Jones, 23, by convicted terrorist Usman Khan during a prisoner rehabilitation event at Fishmongers' Hall in London on November 29 2019.
The event was organised by Cambridge University's Learning Together programme, of which Jack was a course co-ordinator and Saskia was a volunteer.
Ms Vince wrote, "What has stayed with me since November 2019 is not the political argument that followed my friend Jack Merritt’s death, but his father’s refusal to let it become one.
"David Merritt was clear in the days after the attack. He said his son would have been “livid” at his death being used to advance political agendas. He warned against it becoming a pretext for causes Jack himself opposed. In a moment of profound grief, he issued a simple plea: do not weaponise loss."
Speaking outside the court earlier this week, Henry Nowak's father Mark said: "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."
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.
Ms Vince said while Henry and Jack's cases were in different circumstances, society must "recognise a pattern" in how the public collectively responds to tragedy.
"Too often, the suffering of victims and bereaved families is exploited to lend moral weight to arguments they did not choose to make", she wrote.
Nigel Farage faced huge backlash from MPs yesterday including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, as well as Baroness Lawrence and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, after urging people to react strongly to the murder of Henry Nowak.
Following the sentencing of Digwa this week, who has been jailed for life wth a minimum serve of 21 years for the stabbing, the Reform leader has claimed the UK is guilty of a "two-tier" policing system which sees different rules for different ethnicities.