Keir Starmer condemns protests sparked by student’s murder, but not police who arrested him

In Britain the scandal continues after the murder Henry Novak: Police handcuff an injured student as protests turn into clashes.

In the UK a political and social scandal broke out after the murder of an 18-year-old student Henry Novak V Southampton. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Condemned violence in protests following the murderer’s verdict, but public anger remains at the center of police actions: a fatally wounded young man was handcuffed after his attacker falsely portrayed himself as the victim of a racist attack.

Previously “Athens News” already wrote about footage of the last minutes of life Henry Novakthat shocked Britain. Body camera video shows the injured student saying he was stabbed and couldn’t breathe, but officers initially treat him as a suspect.

Read more about the background of the case in the material “Britain was shocked by footage of the death of a student: the police handcuffed the wounded young man”.

According to British media reports, the 23-year-old Vikrum Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder Novak. The minimum term of imprisonment before the possibility of parole, according to a number of sources, is about 21 years old. Murder happened December 3, 2025when the student was returning home after a night out.

The court found that Digva caused Henry Novak several stabs with a knife. After the attack, he told police that he himself was the victim of a racist attack and acted in self-defense. This version turned out to be false, but it was it, according to British media, that influenced the initial actions of the officers at the scene.

The police believed the attacker

The published footage shows that the arriving police first talk to Digvoywho presents himself as the victim. After this they approach the man lying on the ground. Novak. The student says several times that he was stabbed and repeats that he can’t breathe.

The footage shows that the police, who responded to a call to a house in Southampton, first communicate with a Sikh man who calls himself the victim, and then approach Novak lying on the ground, try to ask him a few questions, and then put a… pic.twitter.com/e4d4cUVXMx

— Athens News (@russianathens) June 2, 2026

One of the officers, according to published materials, responds to him approximately in the spirit that he does not think that the young man was really hit. The mortally wounded student is then handcuffed. Later Novak died.

Hampshire Police apologized for the treatment of the dying young man. Independent Police Investigative Authority IOPC is checking. According to Reutersone of the officers involved in the incident has already resigned, and others are involved in the case as witnesses.

Starmer condemned the riots

After the verdict was handed down in Southampton Protests took place, some of which escalated into clashes with the police. According to British media reports, those injured 11 policemen and a service dog.

Keir Starmer told parliament that attacks on police officers were “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.” According to him, the pain and anger after the murder Henry Novak cannot be an excuse for further violence and unrest.

??POLICE UNDER ATTACK as ANGRY PROTESTORS take OVER Southampton??

OH SHIT… This will not end well

Full-scale riots have erupted in Southampton UK as hundreds of protesters clash with riot police throwing Glass bottles, bricks, and wheelie bins at officers as tensions… pic.twitter.com/nJ5Ov4gtJa

— Baraka Amuri (@TheBarakaShow) June 3, 2026

Minister of the Interior Shabana Mahmoud also condemned the violent protests, saying the tragedy should not be used to incite hostility and unrest. At the same time, the authorities are calling for the results of an independent investigation into the actions of the police.

Why did the scandal become political?

Case Novak quickly went beyond the usual crime chronicle. Right-wing politicians and public figures have accused the police of so-called double standards and in fear of accusations of racism. Leader Reform UK Nigel Farage said the case raises questions about trust in the police and equality before the law.

Critics say officers were too quick to accept the attacker’s account because it was presented as a story of racial attack. As a result, in their opinion, the fatally wounded student ended up in handcuffs, and his words about the stab wound were not taken seriously.

The government rejects the idea that ethnic minorities receive preferential treatment from the police. However, the scandal has already forced British police agencies to reconsider recommendations related to responding to racial incidents.

Police instructions will be reviewed

National Police Chiefs Council announced a review of the recommendations developed within the framework of Police Race Action Plan. These documents were supposed to help the police take into account racial context when responding to incidents, however after the case Novak their wording was at the center of the dispute.

Minister for Police Affairs Sarah Jones stated on air Sky Newsthat reviewing such recommendations is the right step. As it stands, some of the provisions appear to be flawed and may give the wrong impression of the police approach, she said.

Family Henry Novak called the police treatment of the dying student inhumane and humiliating. At the same time, the relatives emphasized that the death of the young man should not be used to incite hatred, division or new clashes.

Editorial comment

There are two levels to this story, and both are painful. The first is the murder itself. Henry Novak. The second was the reaction of the police, who at the scene believed the attacker’s version and handcuffed the mortally wounded young man. This is not just a “procedural error.” This is a failure of professional perception of the situation, which has now become a political symbol.

Starmer and Mahmood are right when they say violence on the streets is no excuse. Riots do not bring back the deceased and do not help the investigation. But the authorities cannot hide behind condemnation of protests if society demands an answer to a much more unpleasant question: why did a man with a stab wound end up in handcuffs before he received full help?

It’s this question that makes the difference Novak so explosive. Britain has spent years training its own police to see the racial context, avoid discrimination and not repeat old mistakes. But if in a particular situation the fear of making a mistake in one direction leads to an error in the other, the system is obliged to recognize the problem. Otherwise, the conversation about equality before the law turns into a beautiful sign under which a dying person can still become a suspect.

Family Henry Novak asks not to turn his death into fuel for hatred. This is an important position. But giving up hatred does not mean giving up the truth. British police and authorities need to give the public a clear answer: exactly what happened, why officers believed the killer, who was responsible and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Without this, any calls for calm will sound like an attempt to turn off the fire alarm while the building is still smoking.

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