Nigel Farage accused of ‘exploiting tragedy’ with ‘anti-white prejudice’ speech about Henry Nowak’s murder
The Reform leader made a speech calling for people to respond to the 18-year-old's murder with "pure cold rage"
Nigel Farage has been accused of attempting to “exploit a tragedy” after he claimed in a speech that Henry Nowak’s treatment by police shows that “the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities”.
The Reform leader shared a pre-recorded speech on his X account this morning, responding to the release of bodycam footage of Nowak’s arrest by police as he lay dying.
The footage shows Vickrum Digwa, who has now been jailed for Nowak’s murder, telling police that Nowak had attacked him and removed his turban. The court found that Digwa lied.
Nowak was handcuffed by police as he said he couldn’t breathe and that he had been stabbed. A police officer is heard asking him where he had been stabbed and then saying: “I don’t think you have mate”.
In a statement outside Southampton Crown Court yesterday, Nowak’s father said his son did not die with dignity, but added: “We do not want his death used to create further division, hatred or tension”.
Despite this plea, Farage has used a speech to call on people to respond to Nowak’s death with “pure cold rage”.
He also said that there had been little national reaction to Nowak’s murder, compared with the murder of George Floyd.
The Reform leader claimed that “the biggest fear” a police officer has is “being reported for acting in a way that is racially biased”. He said that fear was “now greater than dealing with a dying man”, and said it was evidence of “two-tier” Britain and “anti-white prejudice”.
Responding to Farage’s speech, writer Nels Abbey wrote on X: “The body cam footage of Henry Nowak’s gruesome and unforgivable murder revealed shockingly incompetent police officers. Predictably, Nigel Farage ignores this.
“Britain, don’t let this man drag us into another round of racist riots. Stand united. RIP Henry Nowak.”
Reform Party UK Exposed wrote: “The man who can’t face his financial accusation is seeking to exploit a tragedy, and not for the first time.
“If anything similar to #FaragesRiots happen again, it’s on him.
“Henry Nowak was murdered and his pleas for help ignored by police. Let the future be that this never happens again.
“It’s clear though, that the direction Nigel Farage wants our country to travel, it’s towards division and hate against non-white people.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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