Police pelted with bricks and bottles as violence erupts at Henry Nowak murder protest

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Officers were pelted with stones on a residential street in the St Denys area of Southampton before they charged with perspex shields in an attempt to push the crowd back.

Demonstrators chanted "Henry, Henry" as the line of police was pelted with bricks and forced to retreat again.

Earlier in the evening, close to 1,000 protesters joined Tommy Robinson as chants of "I can't breathe" and "racist police, off our streets" could be heard in response to the bodycam footage which showed university student Henry telling officers he had been stabbed.

Read more: Police officer resigns over Henry Nowak bodycam footage - as remaining three serving officers 'treated as witnesses'

Read more: Police face death threats over Henry Nowak case, Home Secretary reveals amid ‘dangerous undercurrent’ of intimidation

Officers were also pelted with missiles. LBC has contacted Hampshire Police for comment.

Reacting to the scenes, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "The scenes this evening in Portswood are completely unacceptable.

"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."

Following the protest outside the station, a large group walked across town to the area close to where the murder took place.

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.

Henry, 18, was handcuffed and arrested after being fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in December 2025.

Protesters gathered outside the station at around 6pm and held a minute's silence for Henry and were met by officers from Hampshire Police who have lined the stairs of the building.

Many can be seen holding England flags with others holding signs reading: "All lives matter" and "Starmer = responsible".

They were reciting The Lords Prayer and chanting "Christ is King" during the protest and chanted "Shame on you" towards the offices on scene.

The case has sparked nationwide outrage after it emerged Digwa lied and claimed that he had been racially abused by the student, leading officers to restrain Henry while he pleaded that he could not breathe.

The killer was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on Monday and after the sentencing, Henry's father, Mark, said the family did not want his death to be used to "create further division, hatred or tension".

But among the attendees at the gathering included Tommy Robinson and Lawrence Fox.

Robinson told the cheering crowd he had been "warning of this day for 20 years".

He said through a megaphone: "What the whole world can see now with Henry's video is what we all know already. The different treatment of white people compared to non-whites.

"We see this spreading to every institution in this country. The crying, the pleading 'I can’t breathe', it’s insane."

The response to the case has created division within Westminster after Nigel Farage accused the police response as being an example of "two-tier Britain".

But his comments were slammed by Kemi Badenoch and former leader of the Conservative Party, former Cabinet Minister and MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who accused Farage of "stirring things up rather than trying to calm them down".

Sir Keir Starmer also said there were "serious questions" to answer following the case and said he "felt sick" watching the footage.

Speaking after the sentencing on Monday, Henry's father, Mark, said: "We need real solutions. We need investment in prevention. We need stronger action on the sale, the ownership and carrying of all knives.

"As this case so painfully demonstrates, we need common sense applied to our laws. This doesn't mean knee-jerk reactions, this doesn't mean going to extremes. It just means a common-sense approach to law and order."