When police arrived at the scene, Henry Nowak was already on the ground after being stabbed. The images show how it all happened
The streets of the United Kingdom threaten to descend into a state of chaos after a young student aged just 18 died in Southampton while handcuffed after being stabbed in a false accusation of racism.
The case dates back to December last year, but the video of everything that happened has only just become known – which can be seen on the cover of the article -, which is causing a wave of indignation against the handling of the case by the authorities.
As can be seen in the video, when the police arrived at the scene, Henry Nowak had already been stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh man who accused the fatal victim of racism, which turned out to be untrue, contributing to the life sentence imposed on the 23-year-old man for the murder and perjury.
In the now-known footage, which was filmed by bodycams mounted on the officers’ uniforms, Kevin Nowak is on the ground twitching while saying “I was stabbed” or “I can’t breathe,” while one of the officers says “I don’t think so, kid.”
Remembering that “I can’t breathe” was precisely the phrase uttered by George Floyd, an American citizen who died at the hands of the Minneapolis police in 2020.
The situation has escalated to such an extent that the UK Prime Minister has already admitted that there are “serious questions” to be answered, namely how “allegations of racism contributed to or influenced decision-making in this specific case”.
“It is impossible to watch the video and not take into account that these questions really need to be answered”, said Keir Starmer, who already sees one of his main rivals, the leader of the Reform party, criticizing the case.
“The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with the death of Henry Nowak,” Nigel Farage said in a statement.
The case is gaining such dimension that several people took to the streets of Southampton, concentrating specifically near the police station while chanting “I can’t breathe”.
As for the weapon used in the crime, Vickrum Digwa assured that he could carry it because of the exemptions given to Sikh citizens from carrying ceremonial bladed weapons.
The police even removed Kevin Nowak’s handcuffs when they realized that the victim was really injured, but not even resuscitation maneuvers were enough to save the young man.
In any case, and faced with social pressure and that from the young man’s family, the police issued a statement apologizing and ensuring that one of the agents involved had already left the security forces, while the others will be taken into consideration as witnesses for the investigation.
