US vice president JD Vance has called for “righteous anger” over the murder of Henry Nowak, arguing the killing was partly the result of what he described as “the mass invasion of migrants”.
The remarks, delivered in an unusually sweeping attack on Europe’s political leadership, drew a sharp response from Downing Street, which criticised “people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets” in connection with Mr Nowak’s death.
Mr Nowak, an 18-year-old student, was handcuffed by police officers as he lay dying, despite his pleas that he had been stabbed. The incident unfolded after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed he had been the victim of a racist attack.
In the latest intervention by the Trump administration over the case, Mr Vance said: “Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit.
“His murder is as tragic as it is enraging.
“He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”
Watch: Bodycam footage shows police handcuffing Henry Nowak
Mr Vance went on to say the appropriate public reaction to Mr Nowak’s death should be “righteous anger”.
His appeal came after violent unrest in Southampton on Tuesday night, close to the location where Mr Nowak was killed.
Mr Vance said: “Henry was far from the first to so needlessly lose his life, and I fear he won’t be the last.
“Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response – the only response – is righteous anger.
“One of the most important things the Trump administration has proven to the world is that stopping the flow of mass migration and defending national sovereignty is a matter of political will and leadership.
“Anything else is an excuse.”
A No 10 spokesperson said: “In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.
“The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.
“Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
Protesters confront riot police near the location where Henry Nowak died
Mr Vance’s comments followed a separate statement from the US State Department, which linked “two-tier policing” to Mr Nowak’s death.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s department said: “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline.
“They must be rejected across the West.
“The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.”
Downing Street rejected “any suggestion of two-tier policing across the United Kingdom”.
Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, which he carried as part of his Sikh religion.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Hampshire Police’s response in Mr Nowak’s case.
Mark Nowak and Katie Woodcock, the father and stepmother of Henry Nowak, at Downing Street for a meeting with Keir Starmer
The British government also pushed back against the wider Trump administration intervention.
Downing Street again dismissed claims of two-tier policing in the UK, echoing Justice Secretary David Lammy, who said earlier the idea did not match his experience.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said police had serious questions to answer about their handling of the incident, including how allegations of racism shaped officers’ decisions, and confirmed an investigation is under way.
However, he condemned the violent and disorderly protest on Tuesday night, calling it “unforgivable” to exploit the death to inflame tensions after Mr Farage urged people to respond with “pure cold rage”.
Mr Starmer also told Mr Musk yesterday to stop interfering in British politics, after the tech boss repeatedly posted about the case and said it showed police bias against white people in Britain.
The local police force has rejected claims of bias, although police chiefs have said they will review guidance drawn up after decades of well-documented racism in policing on how officers should treat ethnicities differently.
Mr Nowak’s family, who met privately with Mr Starmer yesterday, described his treatment by police as “inhumane and degrading”, but insisted his death must not be “used to create further division, hatred or tension”.
Deputy British Prime Minister David Lammy told Sky News this morning that he welcomed the US government’s condolences to the Nowak family, but said he did not recognise “this caricature of Britain having a two-tier criminal justice system”.
