Social media users have taken the knee for Henry Nowak after his murder sparked accusations of ‘two-tier policing’ in Britain’s forces. 

Southampton University student Mr Nowak was 18 when he was stabbed to death last December by knife-obsessed Vickrum Digwa, 23, with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger. 

Digwa, who is a Sikh, did not know his teenage victim, but lied to officers at the scene by claiming Mr Nowak shouted racist abuse, punched him and knocked off his turban. 

Mr Nowak was then arrested as he lay covered in his own blood, before dying ‘alone, humiliated and handcuffed’ in police custody.

On Monday, Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years, after a jury found him guilty of ‘aggressively pursuing’ Mr Nowak and stabbing him six times – including an 8cm deep chest wound. 

Passing sentence at Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley pushed back on accusations of racism against Digwa, saying of Mr Nowak: ‘I am sure that Henry said nothing racist.

‘You are the only person to make that claim and it is completely at odds with his previous character.’

Now, social media users have ‘taken the knee’ in videos circulating on TikTok paying tribute to Mr Nowak, as outrage continues following the release of police bodycam footage of the student being arrested this week. 

Southampton University student Mr Nowak (pictured) was stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa last December with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger

Social media users have taken the knee for Henry Nowak on TikTok as his murder sparks accusations of ‘two-tier policing’ in Britain

One woman can be seen in the position, captioning her video: ‘Getting on one knee for Harry (Henry) Nowak’

The footage shows Mr Nowak handcuffed as he lay dying after Digwa falsely claimed to be the victim of racism. 

Mr Nowak could be heard repeatedly telling officers ‘I can’t breathe,’ before his death. 

The videos, displaying a similar sentiment seen following the death of George Floyd – an African American man murdered by US cops in 2020 –  show members of the public exacting the symbolic gesture.

One video, posted to TikTok, shows a man and a woman both taking a knee and creating a love heart with their hands, with the caption: ‘We take a knee for Henry Nowak. RIP.’ 

Another, which has over nineteen thousand likes, shows a woman bending her knee in respect with the caption: ‘Getting on one knee for Harry (Henry) Nowak,’ while Michael Jackson’s 1996 hit ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ plays in the background. 

A similar video, with over 300 comments, shows a woman taking the knee while asking users to ‘Please repost’ and encouraging others to make videos displaying the gesture. 

She said: ‘I take the knee for you, Henry. Let’s start a trend.’ 

The videos come only days following the force that arrested Mr Nowak denying allegations of two-tier policing – despite the brutal nature of the teen’s death. 

One TikTok user encouraged others to ‘start a trend’ by taking the knee

The head of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Alex Boon, responded to the accusations among his staff by saying he does not ‘recognise’ the claims, and insisting Mr Nowak was not treated differently because of his race. 

The statement followed riots in Southampton – sparked by the treatment of Mr Nowak – this week, that saw 11 officers and a dog injured. 

More than 1,000 demonstrators descended on Southampton Central police station just before 6pm on Tuesday.

Hampshire Constabulary have since increased patrols in the city and warned of further arrests following the ‘unacceptable scenes.’

Yet the Conservatives and Reform UK are adamant Mr Nowak’s treatment was influenced by police guidance around racial bias. 

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said Mr Nowak’s death must be a ‘wake up call’ as forces were urged to scrap ‘two-tier’ policing rules.

Riot police armed with plastic shields face off with protestors in Southampton

A police officer remonstrates with a protester in Southampton city centre 

Reform UK’s Nigel Farage also agreed that ‘two-tier’ policing could not continue, and warned that Southampton riots were ‘in danger of getting worse’ unless the Government acts.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was ‘no justification’ for the ‘disgraceful’ violence shown in the wake of Mr Nowak’s death, however blamed Mr Farage for urging the public to display ‘cold rage’. 

Sir Keir suggested Mr Farage only ‘pretended to respect’ the family of Mr Nowak, who have pleaded for people not to politicise the murder.

The Prime Minister also pushed back against the idea of ‘two-tier policing’ in Britain.

Under the so-called Anti-Racism Commitment published last year, policing leaders say that ‘racial equity’ should not mean ‘treating everyone the same or being colour blind’.

Instead, their aim is to produce ‘equality of policing outcomes’ by ending the racial disparity in the ‘likelihood of people being criminalised’.

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) has since vowed to review the guidance, which the policing minister accepted was ‘wrong’ this week. 

Speaking to Sky News, Sarah Jones said it was important to be ‘mindful of the fact that there has been a history of racism in policing’ but she said of the commitment: ‘I think this document is wrong.’

Vickrum Digwa (pictured) seen lying to police on bodycam footage, as he tells them Mr Nowak ripped off his turban in a racist attack

Police bodycam footage shows innocent Mr Nowak being forced into handcuffs by officers after he was stabbed 

Digwa (pictured) lied to police at the scene, telling officers Mr Nowak had not been stabbed and had instead attacked him

However, the director of the London Policing College and the first and only Sikh chief superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, Parm Sandhu, rejected accusations of a two-tier approach and accused politicians of ‘politicising’ Mr Nowak’s death.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, she said: ‘Police officers do not go to work and think they are going to treat black or white people differently.

‘They go to work and they deal with emergency situations where they have to make fast life or death decisions.

‘In this case they’ve made a tragic mistake. But they do not base those decisions on the skin colour of the individuals in front of them.’