Violent protests and questions after Nowak murder case sentencing

Key points

• Protestors clashed with police in several areas of Southampton, as they marched from the centre of the city to the neighbourhood of Vickrum Digwa, the 23-year-old who was sentenced to life in prison on Monday (June 1, 2026) for murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak.
• Digwa, a Sikh, had used a long-bladed knife he was carrying on his person to commit the murder and then lied to police officers, saying Mr. Nowak had not been stabbed and that he (Digwa) had been racially abused.
• Police initially believed Digwa’s claims and arrested Mr. Nowak as he lay bleeding to death.
• Far-right figure Tommy Robinson and actor Laurence Fox addressed the crowd gathered in central Southampton on Tuesday (June 2, 2026), following which a group marched to the Portswood area, near where Mr. Nowak was murdered.
• Video footage showed protestors hurling projectiles at riot police, with some chanting, “Henry, Henry”.