Downing Street Condemns Vance for Exploiting Henry Nowak Murder to Incite Division
Downing Street has denounced "people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division" following comments by US Vice-President JD Vance regarding the murder of Henry Nowak.
Mr Vance attributed the stabbing death of the 18-year-old British student by Vickrum Digwa in December to a "mass invasion of migrants", asserting that the "only response is righteous anger". Following his post on X, a Downing Street spokesman stated that the Nowak family "have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division", adding that "Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country."
Mr Vance's post described the killing as "tragic as it is enraging", suggesting Nowak would still be alive "if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants". This echoed a US State Department post on Thursday, which claimed that "Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West."
Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of "trying to whip up division" over Nowak's murder. Mr Musk had posted on X, urging the dissemination of video footage depicting Nowak's treatment by police in his final moments, alleging police "cravenly kowtowed to his murderer".
Violent protests erupted in Southampton after the release of bodycam footage showing police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying, following Digwa's false claim of being a victim of a racist attack. These disturbances resulted in eleven police officers and one police dog sustaining injuries, with two arrests made. Digwa received a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years for using a 21cm blade, which he stated he carried as part of his Sikh faith, to kill Nowak as he walked home on 3 December.
The Conservatives and Reform UK have criticised the case, alleging "two-tier policing" where different groups are policed distinctly. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey remarked, "we all need to resist attempts like this to politicise Henry Nowak's death and divide our country - whether they come from MAGA politicians like Vance or their cronies here in the UK."
