Protests break out across the UK after bodycam footage circulates showing an 18-year-old student, Henry Nowak, being handcuffed by police while he is mortally wounded. According to multiple reports, Nowak, who was stabbed in December after a night out with members of his football team, repeatedly tells officers: “I can’t breathe.” The reports link the police incident to the investigation around the stabbing, which involved allegations that the attacker falsely claimed racial abuse.
Several outlets say protests escalate into clashes in cities including Southampton, with demonstrators throwing bricks at police. Some far-right figures seize on the case, using it to argue that white people are treated as second-class citizens by police. Other reporting points to existing UK government findings from 2024 on racial disparities in arrest rates.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer describes the footage as “harrowing” and says there will be an investigation into police conduct. The outlets also describe renewed public debate over police treatment in situations involving injured detainees and the role of racial claims in the case.
