GoKawiilProtests over the December murder of an 18-year-old descended into violence in the UK on Tuesday, as influential figures on America’s far right sought to exploit the situation to claim it was evidence of widespread antiwhite racism.
Police were attacked with rocks and flares outside Southampton Central Police Station and arrests were made after hundreds gathered in anger over the release of bodycam footage showing Henry Nowak being handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer, Vickrum Digwa, stood nearby.
Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Digwa was jailed for life on Monday for murdering Nowak in December 2025. At the time, Digwa, a Sikh, lied to police and told them he had been racially abused. This led police to handcuff Nowak, despite the teenager repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe and that he had been stabbed. A police officer can be heard replying: “Don't think you have, mate.”
Outside of court on Monday, Nowak’s father called the police’s actions “inhumane and degrading” but clearly stated, “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.”
However, within hours, far-right figures on both sides of the Atlantic were seeking to take advantage of the anger caused by Nowak’s death, with many posts on social media claiming the death was evidence of antiwhite racism racking up millions of views.
Central to this was Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO who has posted dozens of times about the cases over the last 24 hours, including an offer to fund the prosecution of police officers involved in the case. “Official police policy requires them to be racist against whites,” Musk wrote.