https://www.wsj.com/opinion/henry-nowak-murder-britain-police-vickrum-digwa-fea31b0e?mod=hp_opin_pos_2
The Woke Murder of Henry Nowak
Police arrested and let a white victim die while believing his Sikh killer.
Updated
Britain’s political class is in an uproar over the murder of Henry Nowak—as it should be. The facts of the case are appalling, and the inadequate response of so much officialdom is an example of how woke progressive politics has corrupted institutions, including law enforcement, in Western democracies.
Nowak, a white 18-year-old university student, was stabbed to death while walking home from a night out with friends on Dec. 3. Vickrum Digwa, who was convicted of murder last week, used an eight-inch knife purported to be a Sikh religious ceremonial item in the attack.
Mr. Digwa then called the police with a fabricated story that Nowak had assaulted him while using a racial slur. On this basis, officers handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying on the ground. They ignored him when he repeatedly tried to tell them he had been stabbed and couldn’t breathe. They only administered medical aid once he passed out, at which point it was too late.
The case has catapulted into the public consciousness because Mr. Digwa’s sentencing on Monday (to life in prison, of which he’s supposed to serve at least 21 years) undammed press coverage that wasn’t allowed while the trial was in progress. This coincides with the public release of police bodycam footage from that night. It’s hard to watch, and readers who seek it out online should do so advisedly.
The tragedy has activated anew a host of tensions simmering barely under the surface in Britain. One is the perception, which is hard to contest, that official Britain’s excessive racial sensitivities are causing a breakdown in basic state competence.
As soon as Mr. Digwa alleged racism, the police apparently lost the capacity for simple detection such as determining who at a crime scene has been assaulted and who hasn’t been. It’s the latest in a string of such cases. Among other instances, police and other officials across the country for years ignored Pakistani rape gangs for fear of being perceived as racist.
The response to the Nowak murder is also stoking public anger. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to retreat into official inquiries to avoid political accountability for policies on racism that contributed to the tragedy. Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch, who is black and has little patience for the diversity-industrial complex, is trying to take a “keep calm” approach. In Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament, she grilled Mr. Starmer on . . . welfare reform.
That leaves the field to insurgent politicians. Nigel Farage of Reform UK on Tuesday morning delivered a speech about “two-tier Britain” in which minority groups including immigrants receive preferential treatment relative to white citizens. He suggested that Britons should respond to this situation with “pure, cold rage.” Protesters in Southampton, where Nowak was murdered, apparently agree. They clashed with police Tuesday evening.
This has led other politicians to round on Mr. Farage. Ms. Badenoch accused Mr. Farage of “rabble-rousing,” adding “we don’t need rage.” Mr. Starmer on Wednesday said this is a time for “serious work, not rage,” whatever that means. But Henry Nowak’s murder is legitimately enraging. Britain’s social and political tensions grow worse the longer its leading politicians deny reality.
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