Robert Jenrick has called for Henry Nowak’s murder to be treated in the same way as George Floyd’s.
On Thursday, Vickrum Digwa, 23, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of murdering the 18-year-old university student.
Mr Nowak was killed on December 3 last year as he was walking home from a night out in Southampton.
He was stabbed 5 times, including a fatal wound to the chest, by a 21cm Sikh ceremonial blade, and called out “I can’t breathe” as he lay dying in the street.
Transcripts from the night were read out by the prosecution, in which Mr Nowak was heard saying: “I am dying,” and Digwa replies “You’re not dying bro”.
Nicholas Lobbenberg KC, prosecuting, had told the jury that Digwa, who had been training with weapons since the age of 12, had described the murder weapon in “loving terms” and that he “sleeps in a bedroom with an arsenal of weapons”.
Writing in The Telegraph shortly after the verdict was returned, Mr Jenrick pointed out Labour’s “stony silence” surrounding the case.
He wrote: “Not a peep from the Home Secretary. Not a word from the Prime Minister who is normally quick to respond to deaths involving the police, both in the UK and abroad.
“Remember the spectacle of him ‘taking the knee’ over George Floyd’s death?”
The Reform MP went on to brand Mr Nowak’s murder “a national scandal”.
Mr Jenrick hit out at Labour’s ‘stony silence’ surrounding the horrific case
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GETTYHenry Nowak was stabbed to death on the walk home from a night out with friends
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HANDOUTHenry’s “I can’t breathe” cry was the same phrase immortalised after Floyd’s death – which sparked mass protests and the Black Lives Matter movement across the West.
But Mr Jenrick warned that December’s “appalling injustice” had been met with a “collective shrug” by Westminster.
“With the exception of a couple of us including Henry’s local MP, Jen Craft, it has not been raised in the House of Commons,” he said.
“I asked the Home Secretary to launch an investigation into the police’s conduct and a debate on two-tier policing – needless to say I was rebuffed.
“The silence can be explained by the fact that most politicians are more interested in showing their supposed virtue by favouring minority communities at the expense of the majority.”
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‘Remember the spectacle of him ‘taking the knee’ over George Floyd’s death?’ Mr Jenrick wrote
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Digwa was carrying a “Kirpan” at the time of the murder, a religious knife carried by initiated Sikhs as a mandatory article of faith.
It is legal for Sikhs to carry the ceremonial blade in public – but Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe led calls to ban it entirely on Thursday after the murder trial.
The Sikh Federation UK said his remarks were “very irresponsible”, accusing him of “opening up the Sikh community to greater hate crimes and discrimination”.
It added that Digwa’s blade was “not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs”.
The group also said the blade is not treated differently to any other when used violently – but critics pointed out how its classification as a religious item means it is permitted in places where similarly-sized knives are banned.
Digwa was carrying a ‘Kirpan’ at the time of the murder, a religious knife carried by initiated Sikhs as a mandatory article of faith
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GettyWembley Stadium, for example, imposes a total ban on knives, blades, and sharp objects.
Kirpans shorter than five inches long are permitted to “uphold tradition”, the stadium’s rules and regulations say.
At the conclusion of Digwa’s trial, protesters gathered in Southampton – with some seen holding placards reading “save our kids”.
A banner bearing Ukip’s logo was unfurled outside the court which contained the words “no justice, no peace” – in a mirror to those raised during BLM protests in 2020.
Further protests are now scheduled to take place in Southampton this weekend, with demonstrators set to gather outside Portswood Police Station on Sunday.
However, Stand Up To Racism Southampton has said it will counter-protest “openly fascist” groups and “Nazis” in the South Coast city.
The group wrote on social media: “Their slogans around ‘two-tier policing’ are not about seeking justice or fairness.
“They are part of a wider attempt to sow mistrust, fear and division. We urge all right-minded people in Southampton not to give credibility to those seeking to turn tragedy into hatred.
“Southampton is a diverse city where people of different backgrounds, faiths and communities live together peacefully. We reject all attempts to divide our city along racial or religious lines.
“Let us respond to this tragedy with unity, compassion and solidarity – not hatred. Keep Southampton Nazi-free!”