Polish far-right politicians have claimed that the murder of Henry Nowak shows “Britain’s descent into the depths of the earth,” as populists from France, Spain, and Japan focused on disturbing footage of his final moments.
Even though Nowak’s family has asked people not to use the killing for political gain and to focus on reducing knife crime, these comments have instead centered on race and immigration.
Police footage showing Nowak’s last few minutes of life has been shared worldwide. The 18-year-old was arrested and handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds, while his killer, Vickrum Digwa—who had stabbed him five times—lied to police, claiming he had been racially abused.
Marta Czech, a member of the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown, was questioned about Nowak’s murderer at an activists’ meeting last week in Hammersmith, west London. She called for “defence of Poles in our country and abroad.”
Nowak’s father is believed to be of Polish descent.
She said: “We don’t have politicians who will care about Polish interests, or Poles, who will represent our values abroad—people with a Polish face, with a Polish passport. We need to be ready to stop these attacks. We must unite against such attacks.”
Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, a Polish MEP in Viktor Orbán’s group, described Digwa, a British citizen, as “an Indian.” In a Facebook post, she blamed “mass immigration,” adding: “This story symbolises Britain’s descent into the depths of the earth… How brainwashed do you have to be with leftist propaganda and political correctness to react this way? And how can you bring your country to such a state with mass immigration that undermines security?”
“White lives don’t matter? Has the world reached this point, brainwashed by this suicidal, leftist ideology?”
French far-right politician Éric Zemmour, who organized protests against the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lola Daviet in France in 2022 despite her family’s objections, said Nowak’s “immigrant perpetrator” was being protected by the “religion of anti-racism.”
He wrote on X: “This horrific murder is a metaphor for what the West is experiencing: the native is treated as a suspect, while the immigrant perpetrator is shielded by the religion of anti-racism, which paralyses government officials and police officers. This time, there will be no kneeling. Europeans, in their own homeland, are not allowed to do so.”
Santiago Abascal, leader of the Spanish far-right party Vox, wrote that “the British people are burning with rage” over Nowak’s death.
He wrote on X: “The mainstream media, silent, as usual… The globalist elites who have spawned this madness, also looking the other way. There are many responsible parties and accomplices in the atrocities we see daily in Europe. They should all be brought to justice, and one day they will be.”
A hard-right news aggregator in Japan called Hoshu-Sokuhou, which focuses on anti-Chinese and anti-Korean content, ran an article about the attack. It concluded: “This can be seen as a concrete example of the failure of multiculturalism and the result of the police prioritising political and racial considerations above all else, thereby losing sight of their fundamental duty to protect the lives of the public.”
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, suggested the British public react with “pure, cold rage” to the police’s actions. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Farage repeated his claim that the incident was the result of “two-tier policing,” citing anti-racism guidance issued by senior officers.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to crHe criticized Farage’s comments in the Commons, saying it was “a time for serious work, not rage” and that there was “no justification for more violence and disorder.”
A former police officer has been forced to flee to a safe place after being falsely accused online of involvement in the Nowak murder. Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has criticized social media and AI platforms—including Elon Musk’s Grok—for spreading the false claim that she was one of the officers who arrested Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed by Digwa.
Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 21 years on Monday for Nowak’s murder in Southampton last December. The attorney general’s office said it had received “multiple requests” to review Digwa’s sentence under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs regarding the exploitation of Henry Nowaks murder by farright groups in Europe
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q Who was Henry Nowak
A Henry Nowak was a 67yearold man who was tragically murdered in his own home in the UK The case received significant media attention
Q Why are farright groups talking about this specific crime
A They are using it to push a political narrative They falsely claim the crime was racially motivated to argue that immigration leads to violence and that white Europeans are under threat
Q What is a populist racebased argument
A Its a simple emotional argument that blames a group of people for societys problems It divides people into us versus them
Q Is it true that immigration caused this murder
A No Police and investigators have stated the murder was not racially motivated Farright groups are deliberately twisting the facts to fit their antiimmigration agenda
Advanced Contextual Questions
Q How exactly are these groups using the murder in their propaganda
A They share misleading headlines memes and videos on social media that claim migrants are killing Brits They often organize vigils that turn into protests and use the victims name as a hashtag to spread their message
Q What is the great replacement theory and how does it relate to this case
A The great replacement is a farright conspiracy theory that claims there is a plot to replace the white native European population with nonwhite immigrants Groups are using Henry Nowaks death as proof that this replacement is happening through violence
Q Are these groups only active in the UK or across Europe
A They are active across Europe Farright parties and movements in France Germany Italy and Poland often share the same talking points The murder is used as a common story to unite farright audiences across borders
Q What is the real danger of them exploiting this tragedy
