Bodycam footage sparks protests after death of Henry Nowak

Over a thousand demonstrators had gathered, with violent clashes breaking out later in the evening; protesters threw chairs and flares towards lines of officers, leading to several arrests.

Prime Minister Starmer condemned the violence, saying there could be “no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder.”

The protests followed the release of bodycam footage showing Nowak’s final moments in December 2025, which Starmer said made him “[feel] sick” when watching.

The footage shows officers handcuffing Nowak as he pleaded for help, saying he could not breathe, after Digwa falsely claimed Nowak had directed racial abuse at him. Digwa stabbed Nowak six times, and was convicted of murder on 28 May and sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years.

The judge rejected his claims that Nowak had physically or racially abused him. One officer has since resigned, while three others remain under investigation by the police watchdog.

The case raises genuine questions about police decision-making under anti-racism guidance, and those questions are being reported – but very differently across the press.

The tragedy of Henry Nowak is not in dispute. The question the divergent coverage raises is whether a genuinely serious policing failure is being examined — or instrumentalised.

Right-leaning outlets have led with the “two-tier policing” frame, foregrounding DEI guidance as the root cause and amplifying Reform and Conservative voices. GB News ran multiple pieces featuring politicians calling the force “brainwashed” by an “anti-racism agenda.”

Left-leaning and centrist outlets have been more likely to focus on police accountability and the subsequent violence at the protests — or to note, as Starmer did, that far-right figures were exploiting the case against the wishes of Henry’s family.

Unless linked, headlines are front pages on 03/06/2026.

Appeals for calm as murder case prompts fears of racial tension:
PM condemns Farage for trying to ‘create division’ against family’s wishes

The Guardian

Family’s plea for calm ignored:
Hundreds of protestors surround Southampton police station chanting ‘I can’t breathe’ after murder of student Henry Nowak

the i paper

Police face call to drop race bias policies:
Politicians blame DEI guidelines for death of 18-year-old at the hands of Sikh killer

The Daily Telegraph

The Telegraph also ran a piece titled, Did anti-racism condemn Henry Nowak to die?

Review of race guidance to end ‘two-tier’ policing

The Times

Demonstrators chant ‘I can’t breathe’ at Hampshire police and start fires amid exploding fury over bodycam showing white murder victim Henry Nowak’s life ebbing away as officers blindly swallow Sikh killer’s race lies

Daily Mail

Tory frontbencher demands ‘political correctness’ be ‘rooted out’ of Britain’s justice system: ‘It’s corrupt!’

GB News