Fatal Stabbing of UK Student Sparks Debate on Alleged Anti-White Bias in Policing

‘We cannot allow the color of someone’s skin to be a consideration in how the police ... treat people,’ British Conservative lawmaker Chris Philp said.

A protester holds up a sign with a photograph of murdered Henry Nowak during a protest outside a police station in Southampton, England, on June 2, 2026. Gareth Fuller/PA via AP

The circumstances surrounding the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, a white student who was stabbed by a Sikh man last year and then handcuffed by police as he lay dying after being falsely suspected of racism, have sparked a debate over alleged discrimination by police in the UK.

Nowak was killed in Southampton, England, on Dec. 3, 2025, but the incident drew renewed attention after Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years in prison on June 1, and following the release of a video showing police dismissing Nowak when he said that he had been stabbed. Digwa had told police he was the victim of a racist attack.