No 10 hits back at JD Vance for blaming Henry Nowak murder on migrant ‘invasion’
The Trump administration has repeatedly been critical of the UK government over its immigration policies (AFP via Getty Images)
US Vice President JD Vance has attributed the murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton to the “invasion of migrants” in Europe, claiming that Nowak would still be alive if European nations had resisted “politics of self-hatred.”
“Henry Nowak died the same way a civilization dies: abandoned, handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him, and accused of hate crimes he did not commit,” Vance said. “His murder is as tragic as it is enraging. He should still be alive today, and he would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”
Police handcuffed 18-year-old Nowak as he lay dying despite his repeated pleas that he could not breathe after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely accused him of a racist attack. Vickrum Digwa got a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years for fatally stabbing Nowak with a ceremonial knife, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Hampshire Police’s handling of the incident.
A No 10 spokesperson responded to Vance’s remarks, saying: “In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets. The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.”
They continued, “Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.”
