The Reform chief has been heavily criticised for his response to the horrifying killing, which he claims is evidence of a policing system that discriminates against white people
Nigel Farage is facing a furious backlash after calling for the public to respond with “pure cold rage” to the murder of Henry Nowak.
The Reform chief has been heavily criticised for his response to the horrifying killing, which he claims is evidence of a “two tier” policing system that discriminates against white people.
The Prime Minister has now accused the Reform UK leader of failing to respect the teenager’s loved ones, who earlier this week called for calm. Speaking at PMQs, Keir Starmer said Mr Farage’s actions in calling for “pure cold rage” were unforgivable, while anti-racism groups accused him of parroting far-right lies.
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On Monday Henry’s dad Mark Nowak told reporters outside court: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to make our streets safer for everyone.”
However, following Vickrum Digwa’s sentencing on Monday – which saw the killer jailed for a minimum of 21 years – Mr Farage released a video stating: “We’re living in a two-tier culture in this country where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities.” And he said: “We need a change in culture. White lives matter too.”
He went on to post on X: “We should respond to this with pure cold rage.” Raising the tragedy in the Commons, Mr Farage said: “It is now clear to growing millions in this country that we’re living under two tier policing.”
Tuesday night saw violent clashes in Southampton – where Henry was murdered in December – with 11 police officers injured. The PM said it is a time for serious work to learn lessons and get justice for Henry, not rage.
Speaking at PMQs, Mr Starmer said: “I’m really shocked that he (Mr Farage) pretends to have respect for Henry’s family. The grieving family have asked us not to respond in the way that the leader of Reform has responded. They’ve asked us not to. They have lost their son in the most appalling circumstances.
“They make a simple plea of us as human beings to please not exploit that. That is their plea to us, and we all need to reflect on the words of Henry’s father. My response and the response of others, to be fair, has to be focused on the lessons to be learned so we can deliver justice. His (Mr Farage’s) response has been to appeal for rage.
“That’s his response to a father who’s lost his son and asked for that not to happen. Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances. But to do it when the family are expressly saying please don’t is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”