Student Henry Novak died in custody in December 2025 after British police confused the attacker with the victim. Now the footage from the police camera has been shown. A debate has begun in society about "reverse racism".
The circumstances in which 18-year-old student Henry Novak died in front of police officers in Southampton are horrifying. He lay on the ground with stab wounds after being stabbed by another young Sikh man. He told officers nine times that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. However, they did not believe him, initially deciding that he was the attacker and handcuffed him. Shortly afterwards, Novak died. The case dates back to December 2025, but it became relevant again - along with the video recording from a police uniform camera, which was shown during the trial. In the meantime, the attacker was sentenced to life in prison.
"I can't breathe" were the last words of the African American George Floyd, who died in May 2020 in the USA after a brutal police intervention, recalls the German public media ARD. Now in the UK they are drawing a parallel with Floyd's death.
Farage accuses the police of "prejudice against whites"
Lady men who die in front of the police: in the USA - black, in Southampton - white. In both cases, the police failed.
The Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement has taken shape around the world since the death of George Floyd. Right-wing instigators, such as the leader of the right-wing populist party "Reform UK" Nigel Farage, are now portraying this as "reverse racism".
"White lives matter, enough anti-white prejudice", Farage calls in a video. British police apply double standards and, when prosecuting crimes, act more harshly against the white majority, he claims. That is why Farage calls on the public to "react with pure, cold anger".
Eleven police officers injured, two arrested
Right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson also called for protests. In Southampton, in front of the central police station, and later near the scene of the incident, hundreds took to the streets. Cars were smashed, trash cans and stones were thrown at police in protective clothing, eleven police officers were injured, and two of the protesters were detained.
Videos captured how the angry crowd repeatedly called on the police force to kneel in memory of the deceased Henry Novak, as British police had done for George Floyd.
The riots are reminiscent of the turbulent summer of 2024, when a number of English cities were gripped by weeks of racially motivated clashes. The riots were triggered by the murder of three girls in Southport, northern England. This led to attacks on asylum seekers' accommodation centers, mosques, and shops run by Muslims - because of rumors that the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker. The attacker was actually a British-born man of Rwandan descent.
Expert: Unequal treatment of black people
Social psychologist Clifford Stott of Keele University claims that the police still treat blacks and whites differently: the latter are stopped more often on the street, are more often used with electric batons, die more often in police custody and are more often charged than whites, he told Sky News.
The British police have long been accused of institutional racism. But new guidelines in the Police Race Action Act (a police program aimed at eliminating racism, prejudice and discrimination in police services – ed.) should help restore trust among minority groups. It is about the delicate handling of situations in which officers encounter different ethnic groups or religions. In no case are there any double standards, the police assure, ARD also writes.
After the Novak case, however, these guidelines will still be reviewed. Recently, a scandal broke out in the United Kingdom over a Pakistani-British criminal group, whose crimes were long ignored by the authorities - for fear of being accused of racism. Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch expressed her concerns that the police, previously accused of racism, are now, in their efforts to correct past mistakes, turning in the other direction.
Starmer condemned the riots
The misconduct of the officers in the Henry Novak case is being investigated by a disciplinary committee, and one officer has already resigned. According to the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, another police officer who was wrongly linked to the "Novak" case has received death threats and has been forced to move with his family. The relatives of the murdered student have specifically asked that the tragedy not be used to sow hatred and division.
But that is precisely what Farage is aiming for, says Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer - and it is inexcusable. In a parliamentary hearing, he rejected the accusation that British police were applying double standards. Starmer condemned the riots and called the attacks on police officers "disgraceful and completely unacceptable", ARD points out.
Farage: Southampton is just the beginning
The leader of "Reform UK" Nigel Farage accused Starmer of ignoring the will of the Novak family and sowing discord, which is inexcusable. The right-wing populist told Times Radio last night that the division would deepen, and that Southampton was just the beginning. "If a lot of young white men believe that the police are biased against them, then God only knows where that will lead. That has to stop."
Farage, who is known for skillfully choosing his words, added that in his video he called for "anger to be channeled coolly, not emotionally". According to him, this was not a call to rebellion, ARD also points out.