In his post, Vance described the killing as “tragic as it is enraging”, saying that Nowak would still be alive today “if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants”. <\/p>\n
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that Vickrum Digwa, the murderer of Henry Nowak, was British born.<\/p>\n
Most figures in UK politics had hoped the atmosphere would remain calmer after the violent protests in Southampton on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
A reason the criticism from Downing St was so swift and pointed is in part to avert what could become another political storm.<\/p>\n
Vance’s comments suggest that they were also partly aimed at a domestic audience in the US, particularly MAGA-adherents who are broadly supportive of the administration’s own immigration policies in the US.<\/p>\n
The Vance post echoed a US State Department post on Thursday that said: “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West.”<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of “trying to whip up division” over Nowak’s murder. <\/p>\n
Posting on X on Tuesday, Musk wrote: “Send the video to everyone you know showing how heinously Nowak was treated by the police in his dying moments and how the police cravenly kowtowed to his murderer.”<\/p>\n
Minister for Children Josh MacAlister also criticised Vance, telling BBC Radio 4 on Friday: “I don’t think we need advice from American politicians … [on] how to have effective policing here in the UK”. <\/p>\n
Violent protests took place in Southampton on Tuesday following the release of bodycam footage which showed police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying after Digwa falsely claimed to be the victim of racist attack. <\/p>\n
During the protests, police were pelted with missiles, resulting in eleven officers and one police dog being injured. Two people were arrested after the incident<\/a>. <\/p>\n Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years after he used a 21cm (8in) blade he said he carried as part of his Sikh faith to kill Nowak, who was walking home alone after a night out with friends on 3 December.<\/p>\n The comments by JD Vance follow a week in which there has been intense scrutiny of the police response – with the case also sparking fresh debates around knife laws, race, policing and public trust.<\/p>\n