The murder of Henry Nowak could have created a unifying turning point for Britain. Instead, Starmer and company have retreated into the trenches and accuse Reform and the Right of polarisation. They forget that they themselves described the Black Lives Matter riots as “largely peaceful”, even though the violent elements were far greater then than they are now. Thus the divided British society continues — there is one rule for whites, and different rules for ethnic minorities. The polarisation will only continue.

When Henry Nowak was so brutally deprived of his life in December last year, it initially passed unnoticed. The case remained a small notice for everyone except his friends and family for several months. It was not until the trial of the murderer, Vickrum Digwa, came up a few weeks ago that the case received broader coverage. It first began to spread on social media through independent actors. It then received attention from politicians such as Matt Goodwin in Reform UK, podcasters, and commentators in the larger conservative newspapers. GB News debated the case daily. It was suddenly on everyone’s lips, and with good reason. After the verdict was handed down — Digwa received 21 years’ imprisonment — the case could no longer be ignored by the rest of the media either. Even Keir Starmer had to come out and comment — better late than never, but as usual he was legally late in doing so.

It was not only the brutality itself of a young boy being stabbed to death that provokes outrage, although that in itself was a tragedy. Henry Nowak was only 18 years old and had barely begun studying finance and accounting at the University of Southampton, and never had the chance to enter working life, find love, start a family, and grow old. It was the way he died, without dignity, as Nowak’s father told the public after the verdict had been delivered. The last thing Henry Nowak experienced before passing away was having to die without receiving help, and without being believed. “I can’t breathe,” he told the police officer whom he believed had come to help him. The police did not believe him either when he said that he had been stabbed four times. He died knowing full well that he was accused of racism, a baseless accusation from Digwa and his brother, both of whom lied to the police by claiming that Nowak had verbally attacked them with racist remarks.

The police therefore considered racism, or accusations of racism, to be more serious than a physical attack, an attack that ended in death for Nowak. The fact that several police forces have undergone a so-called anti-racism course that tells them they should not treat people of different skin colours equally, and have otherwise become permeated by woke ideas, has contributed to accusations of a two-tier justice system. We have seen enough examples of that, but in this case it became particularly clear. The prevailing perception is that white British citizens are disadvantaged — they receive longer sentences for less serious offences, while people from ethnic minority backgrounds, whether newly arrived or having been here for some time, get off more lightly. Such a society does not function in the long term. Trust plummets, and people have had enough. The mood quickly turned into accusations of “polarisation” and the stirring up of conflict. Both Starmer and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, spoke out against Nigel Farage because he had said that he felt anger over what had happened.

White lives matter

But anger is a legitimate response to the injustice that Henry Nowak experienced. Kemi Badenoch is of course right in much of her criticism — she believes that we must not fall into the identity-politics trap of beginning to talk about “White Lives Matter” — but polarisation and identity politics are things that the Left has promoted for several years. This must be corrected, and then it is important that Britons too — regardless of skin colour, naturally — are allowed to express their feelings. Nigel Farage did not mince his words when he said that we must protect “white lives” — white lives — because of course these too should be protected. Although violence against the police is naturally unacceptable, it came as no surprise that there were riots and incidents of violence in Southampton following the verdict, which many regard as far too lenient. Incidentally, it is entirely possible to imprison murderers for life in Britain, and Lord Hermer, the Attorney General for England and Wales, is to review the sentence and consider whether it should be reassessed.

The violence in Southampton was naturally condemned, but the contrast is nevertheless considerable compared with the riots and protests connected with Black Lives Matter in 2020. At that time, riots that resulted in 27 injured police officers were described as a “largely peaceful anti-racism protest” by the BBC. In The Guardian on Wednesday, the riots in Southampton were described as follows: “Eleven police officers and police dog injured by ‘terrifying’ violence”, and “Those claiming to protest against the murder of Henry Nowak were determined to create fear and division”. Why do people take to the streets and throw rubbish bins at the police? It would have been far more interesting if The Guardian could be bothered to examine that question in depth, instead of moralising and demonstrating that it dislikes it. Could it be that what has happened offends people’s sense of justice? That this is merely the tip of the iceberg of cases that provoke outrage and make people feel unsafe in their own country?

The coverage of the riots shows that no, Britain has still not acknowledged that it has a major problem with a two-tier society. The elites who govern the country’s institutions do not understand the population. The working class has been left to its own devices and is now flocking to Reform UK and Rupert Lowe’s Restore. While politicians such as Kemi Badenoch at least attempted to say all the right things, Starmer failed once again by turning against those who would previously have been his core voters. He accuses them of exploiting a tragic fate for political gain, but he himself is quick to do exactly the same.

And so it goes on, and Britain will continue towards even greater division and polarisation in the years to come. Had the British been violent by nature, the country would be in flames by now. But fortunately, we may say, British manners and self-restraint remain qualities that define the average Briton. It will probably get even worse before there is a revolution.